Supreme Court Case PowerPoint Project
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation, and therefore is the primary overseer of the judicial branch of the government. The Supreme Court’s responsibilities are relatively straight forward, with its most significant being judicial review. This process gives the Supreme Court the power to determine whether existing laws are unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has had an immeasurable impact on the American political system by helping to maintain fairness and balance in the U.S. government. They have overseen hundreds of national court cases, many of which have resulted in decisions that have in some way affected virtually every member of society.
Your task to research one of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases listed below. You will work with a partner to create a PowerPoint presentation displaying your research.
PowerPoint Requirements:
Slide 1- Title: Your names, case name, year of case, picture representing case
Slide 2/3- Background: What happened, why did the case reach the Supreme Court? What happened at each level of appeal?
Slide 4- Arguments of each side: Plaintiff v. Defendant. The Defendant will be the person who was originally the plaintiff (I.E. Miranda v. Arizona, Miranda was the defendant in the Supreme Court)
Slide 5- Issue: Question/issue being asked to the Supreme Court for it to decide. Is it based on a particular part of the Constitution (i.e. amendment, clause of Constitution). Is it a civil liberties or civil rights case? Does the case designate a difference between National and State law? What role did the case have in school, the workplace?
Slide 6- Verdict: What did the Supreme Court rule and why? Include the Ruling (5-4, 6-3, 9-0), and the Majority Opinion that states the outcome of the case.
Were there any CONCURRING opinions that were interesting? Find a quote for extra credit!!
Slide 7- Importance: Importance of the outcome of the ruling- In what way did this court ruling effect society?
Presentation Requirements:
-Demonstrate you are knowledgeable about the case
-Do not simply read verbatim from your notes or the PowerPoint- instead tell the class about the case, ruling, and overall importance
-Speak loud and clear
Grading: Information: 35 Points Presentation: 15 Points
Total: 50 Points
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
Terry v. Ohio (1968)
Roe v. Wade (1973)
O’Connor v. Donaldson (1975)
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
Edwards v. Aguillard (1986)
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1983)
New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985)
Atkins v. Virginia 2002
California v. Bakke (1978)
Texas v. Johnson (1989)
Roper v. Simmons (2005)
Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000)
Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)
Gonzales v. Oregon (2006)
District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)