Buffon PC* US - Introduction to the US political system

Link to the slideshow used in class:

Cliquer ici pour accéder à Introduction to the US Political system

Homework : Read the brief on SCOTUS (Supreme Court Of The United States) and be ready to answer the following questions in class:

scotus-fiche-civi.pdf (1.8 Mo)

1) What difference do you think it makes whether a Supreme Court Justice has experience as a judge?

2) What kinds of things do you think should disqualify someone from being considered as a nominee for the Supreme Court?

3) With only 9 Justices on the Court, what would diversity ideally look like?

4) If you could make one change to the nomination process, what would it be?

5) How does the nomination and confirmation process let the executive and legislative branches "check" the judicial branch?

6) Do you believe that the way the Supreme Court today is organized can prevent its politicization? Why?

7) What are the pros and cons of the nominaiton process?

8) What are some benefits and risks of each judicial philosophy method of interpreting the Constitution? (cf. key legal concepts: strict vs loose constructionism)

9)Considering Stare Decisis (cf. key legal concepts), why do you think adhering to precedent is important?

10) What do you think would be acceptable grounds for reversing an existing precedent?

Additional material:

voc-elections.pdf (271.46 Ko)

voc-us-politics.pdf (77.38 Ko)