The Supreme Court is made up of nine justices who are responsible for deciding whether or not laws are in line with the U.S. Constitution. These individuals serve life-long appointments once they are nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate. Below is a list of some of the most controversial decisions in the last few decades by the Supreme Court. These cases are often mentioned by politicians during campaigns because the issues are still debated, even after the Supreme Court's ruling.
For this assignment, write a 500-750 page essay following the guidelines below:
- First, list the current nine members of the United States Supreme Court.
- Second, choose one of the five cases below:
- National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius (Affordable Care Act):https://www.oyez.org/cases/2011/11-393
- District of Columbia v. Heller (gun rights):https://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2007/2007_07_290
- Roe v. Wade (abortion rights):https://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1971/1971_70_18
- Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (campaign finance laws):https://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2008/2008_08_205
- Obergefell v. Hodges (same sex marriage):https://www.oyez.org/cases/2014/14-556
- Third, read about the case you have chosen and summarize it as if you were explaining the case to someone who is not familiar with it. Be sure to include each of the following case elements in your summary:
- The key points in the case and the law being challenged
- The part or amendment to the Constitution discussed in the case
- The states or local governments, if any, that were mentioned in the case.
- Lastly, explain the final ruling in the case by the Supreme Court, and, most importantly, how the ruling in the case impacts the lives of Americans. (You may need to look for additional sources if you are unsure).
If you use sources, be sure to identify any direct quotations you draw from a source by identifying the source and by placing those words in quotation marks (no more than 20% of your essay can be quotations). The source of any ideas or facts you include should also be identified whether you use the direct words or not. Additionally, you should include the links to any news articles or websites you visit by copying and pasting the link at the end of your assignment.
As with all weekly written assignments, submit your work as an attached file. Double-space your paper, and use 12 point Times New Roman as your font.