Assignment

The Supreme Court and Judicial Review (judicial philosophy):

This DQ is about the U.S. Supreme Court's power of judicial review and asks you to take a position on either (1) what judicial philosophy should guide the Court's exercise of judicial review, or (2) whether this power should be strictly limited through ratification of a constitutional amendment. These questions focus on what the role of the Court should be - a debate about the meaning of "judicial activism" and "whether the Court should make law, which is the province of Congress, or only interpret it" (Levin-Waldman, 2012, p. 218).

In answering your selected question, be sure to clearly state your thesis at the beginning of your post. It will also serve you well as you review the materials to consider BOTH the position for which you are arguing AND the counter-arguments to that position. You will need to justify your position with facts and persuasive reasoning, and use APA citations to two or more resources required for this discussion.

There are a variety of materials to read in preparing your discussion posts. Please review carefully the short articles and use these to craft and refine your thesis statement. Also read Chapter 7 in the text and watch the three YouTube videos that outline the history and operation of the Court (and are quite fascinating!).

While viewing the videos, you'll probably want to take notes. Listen for clues about each Justice's philosophy for how the Court should use its power. What would they say about proposals to curtail their power through a constitutional amendment?

In reviewing the materials, focus on what you believe best supports your position and will persuade your reader.

Reference:

Levin-Waldman, O. M. (2012). American government. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.