Discussion Problems
1. Does the court system really need appellate courts? What is their function in the court system?
2 Explain the part the judiciary plays in the checks and balances of government. Can the courts change a law? How does this group of unelected officials affect the separation of powers?
3 Should the government ever be able to interfere with an American's free exercise of religion? If so, when and why? If not, why? Use current examples to support your opinions.
4. What new groups are currently seeking civil rights and equality? Which ones do you think will have the most difficulty achieving their goals? How will American government and politics be changed by the continued growth of membership in these groups?
5. Do you think Americans are less involved in local communities today? Are people involved in different types of communities than the past, such as social networking sites? Are television and the Internet causing isolation or promoting a different type of engagement and socialization? What government policies concerning the Internet and social networks might touch on civil liberties? Are these government policies positive or negative? Provide examples to support your opinion.
6. How are civil rights different from civil liberties? How might the United States be different today if the Fourteenth Amendment had not been ratified and added to the Constitution?
7. How did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 address voter discrimination practices, particularly in the South?
8. Do you think that desecration and burning of the American flag is protected by First Amendment free speech rights? Why or why not?