Judicial Branch DBQ

1. Judicial Branch DBQ

2. Doc A • Author: US Supreme Court (Marshall) • Place and Time: US, 1803 • Prior Knowledge: John Adams gave jobs to his friends a few days before leaving office, Jefferson was getting ready to take office and didn’t like the appointments, political parties begin playing a role,

3. Doc A • Reason: Make Jefferson mad, party politics, government becomes inefficient (divided), limits Jefferson power as President • Main Idea: Jefferson refused to commission a justice of the peace • Significance: Established JUDICIAL REVIEW, made the judicial branch STRONG, they now could rule laws unconstitutional

4. Doc B • Author: Unknown • Place and Time: Unknown • Prior Knowledge: Identify the branches and know their roles, the Constitution is the rule book for our government, all branches are equal in power, checks and balances, separation of powers

5. Doc B • Reason: advantage to the legislative branch, executive branch feels overmatched, equal checks and balances??? • Main Idea: Checks and balances not occurring, one branch too powerful, US Constitution should decide • Significance: Not an example of separation of powers, US Constitution the “supreme law of the land”, judicial branch has final say

6. Doc C • Author: US Supreme Court (Marshall) • Place and Time: US, 1819 • Prior Knowledge: national government can’t be taxed by the states, national bank is constitutional, expands the power of the federal government at the expense of the states

7. Doc C • Reason: shows the power of the national government, another example of judicial review • Main Idea: expanded the power of the national government, states losing power, Congress has implied powers (elastic clause) • Significance: Congress can pass laws and do things that are not necessarily in the Constitution, reading between the lines

8. Doc D • Author: US Supreme Court (Warren) • Place and Time: US, 1954 • Prior Knowledge: Separate-but-equal was ruled constitutional (Plessy v Ferguson, 1896), this decision led to the civil rights movement, some states refused to follow this ruling

9. Doc D • Reason: Declares segregation unconstitutional, power of the Supreme Court • Main Idea: Society was changing, people were realizing that the old ways were holding back the country as a whole • Significance: Led to civil rights movement, increased freedoms for many Americans, Supreme Court reflecting what society was demanding

10. Doc E • Author: US Supreme Court (Blackmun) • Place and Time: US, 1973 • Prior Knowledge: Deals with abortion, state of Texas said you could not choose to have one, Bill of Rights protects many individual freedoms

11. Doc E • Reason: US Supreme Court involved in an issue of growing debate, (pro-choice vs pro-life), Court has the final say • Main Idea: ruled that no state could deny women the right to choose to have an abortion • Significance: Protection of Constitutional freedoms and liberties

12. Doc F • Author: US Supreme Court (Burger) • Place and Time: US, 1974 • Prior Knowledge: Watergate scandal, Nixon resigns from office due to taping his conversations and refusing to turn over tapes, people began to fear the government (Vietnam, Pentagon Papers)

13. Doc F • Reason: Executive privilege is not above the Constitution, Judicial Branch has power over the President • Main Idea: Checks and balances, no one is above the law • Significance: Shows that the power of the President is limited by the Supreme Court, limits the power of the President