Supreme Court Round-Up

The end of June is fast approaching, and that means it's time for summer vacation...for the Supreme Court. Yup, just like you and I the Supreme Court is readying itself for a well deserved summer break. Before they leave the courthouse for the summer however, they have some important work to conclude.

For those of you who don't know, the Supreme Court's "season" runs from October to June. The Court hears cases from October to April and issues decisions in May and June. Traditionally they save their most important, controversial, and divisive decisions until the very end of their session in June. That means the court has already issued or is getting ready to issue MAJOR rulings this week on issues like abortion, gay marriage and Trump's travel ban.

Pictured: Old Mr. Toller?

This year's Supreme Court season has been marked by controversy not just because of the cases before the court, but because of the court's newest member: Neil Gorsuch. Gorsuch was appointed to the court by President Trump in 2017 in one of his first presidential actions. The appointment of Gorsuch was controversial because the open seat on the Supreme Court that Gorsuch was appointed to was "held hostage" by Senate Republicans throughout the 2016 presidential campaign. You see, Presidents have the ability to appoint justices to the Supreme Court, but the Senate has the power to confirm or reject them. In 2016 a seat on the Supreme Court opened up, and President Obama appointed Merrick Garland (a moderately liberal justice) to fill the seat, but the Republican controlled Senate (led by Senator Mitch McConnell) refused to confirm Obama's appointment  of Garland until after the 2016 presidential election (denying President Obama his constitutional duty/power to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court). When Trump unexpectedly won the White House in 2016 he was able to appoint a much more conservative justice to the court that the Republican Senate was more than happy to confirm. That man was Neil Gorsuch.

So, as you can tell, the end of the court's term this year has been wracked with drama and importance.Below you will find two articles - the first is a good primer on the court's current ideological make-up and the second is an excellent summarized list of the major cases before the court. The articles includes embedded links that will help to explain anything you don't understand, so please click away!

The Articles:

Where Neil Gorsuch Would Fit on the Supreme Court - from The New York Times

The Supreme Court’s Biggest Decisions in 2018 - from The New York Times

Questions for Discussion:

Rather than giving you specific questions for each case I'm going to give you some general questions that you can use to help you write your comment about any of the cases in the article The Supreme Court’s Biggest Decisions in 2018. 

1. Do you agree with the court's decision in the case?
2. How will the court's decision impact the country and it's citizens?
3. How will the court's decision impact President Trump?
4. How will the court's decision impact the 2018 Congressional elections?

Before you comment, look over both articles and the questions and decide which case or cases you would like to write about. Obviously, there are too many here for you to write about all of them in a well developed comment, so instead decided which you think you have the strongest opinion about.

DON'T FORGET TO READ MY POST ON CURRENT EVENT COMMENTS BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR COMMENT!!

Voting In America: Use It or Lose It?

Psst, what did you get for number 2?

Our first current event topic is one that is central to the meaning and practice of any democracy, and a topic that has had a difficult and ever evolving past - voting. As all of you I'm sure know, the power to vote in a democracy is the most important tool citizens have in order for their voices to be heard and represented. The power to vote for ideas and candidates you believe in is an essential part of any definition of democracy, however it has not always been a power extended to all. As we will learn in class, the right to vote was originally only given to white men with property (we'll get into why later). Through the passage of the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments the right to vote was extended to include all citizens over the age of 18 regardless of race, sex, gender, or economic status.

While these landmark amendments succeeded in extending the right to vote to all Americans, this increase in our voting population has come with some costs. One of the largest is that, as the number of eligible voters increases the percentage of those voters who actually vote has decreased. Currently, the U.S. has one of the worst voter turnout rates of any western, industrialized economy. The increase in the voting population has also made it harder for politicians and political parties to communicate with such a large group of potential supporters. As a result of these two issues, the right to vote and the system in which we vote have become increasingly important topics in American politics.

Below are two articles both on voting in America. The first article is about a recent Supreme Court decision dealing with an Ohio law that allows the state to delete registered voters from their voter rolls who, "failed to vote for six years and did not confirm their residency". The second article is about a controversial, but interesting, new voting system being used in Maine for the first time.

Article 1 from USA Today:

Supreme Court says states can remove voters who skip elections, ignore warnings

Questions for Discussion:

1. Do you agree that states should be allowed to remove voters from their voter rolls?
2. Is it ever acceptable for states to take away a citizen's right to vote?
3. According to the article, why would this decision benefit Republicans and hurt Democrats?
4. How do you think the Court's decision will impact voter turnout and the upcoming congressional elections in November?

Article 2 from The New York Times:

Vote for Me! For Second Place, at Least?

Questions for Discussion:

1.  How is Maine changing the way voters vote for candidates?
2. Would switching to a ranked-choice system like this work nationally (i.e. in a presidential election)?
3. What impact would a voting system like this have on voter turnout?
4. What impact would a voting system like this have on representation in Congress?
5. Would you support changing to a ranked-choice system?

Before you comment, look over both articles and the questions and decide which you would like to write about. Obviously, there are too many here for you to write about all of them in a well developed comment, so instead decided which you think you have the strongest opinion about.

DON'T FORGET TO READ MY POST ON CURRENT EVENT COMMENTS BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR COMMENT!!

A Word on Current Event Comments

Before you begin commenting on my current event posts for you summer assignment I thought I would lay down a couple ground rules to help you decipher what is and what is not a current event.

To be credited with a current event post:

Your post must attempt to analyze the current event.
Don't only try to answer the questions that I pose in the order I pose them. You need to consider the importance of the event and its impact on the country politically, socially, economically, etc.

This is a political discussion - be opinionated and provocative!
Make sure that your comment addresses both the article posted and your classmates' comments. This blog should be treated as an extension of our classroom discussions. If you're the first to comment, end with a question for your classmates or me. Feel free to disagree with your classmates too, debate and critique is at the heart of American politics

You must comment on a current event post within the 2 week period.

Remember your 4 current event comments are due in 2 week increments starting on July 8th. In order to earn credit for a current event comment for that two week period you must comment on a current event I posted during that two week period.

You must comment on a current event I post to earn credit.

At least for the first 2 current events, you must comment on one of my current event posts to receive credit. As we get farther into the summer, and you begin to post your own current events, I will allow you to comment on each other's current events and earn credit for a current event comment. Keep checking the blog for updates!

If you're looking to see what a good current event comment looks like check out some of the comments  on a post from last year:
Supreme Court Extravaganza