WEEK EIGHT

Unit Questions:
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What is the structure of the federal court system?

What are the differing court procedures under civil, criminal, and
constitutional law?
How do cases get to the Supreme Court and how does the Court decide cases?

Objectives:
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C3.1.2 Analyze the purposes, organization, functions, and processes of the

judicial branch as enumerated in Article III of the Constitution.
C3.1.5 Use case studies or examples to examine tensions between the three
branches of government.
C3.2.3 Identify specific provisions in the Constitution that limit the power of
the federal government.
C3.4.1 Explain why the rule of law has a central place in American society.
C3.4.5 Analyze the various levels and responsibilities of courts in the federal
and state judicial system and explain the relationships among them.

Instructions: Welcome to Week 8 of the online U.S. Government course! Please complete the
following activities for this week. Make sure that you complete each activity by the time it is
due. Due dates are located at the end of each activity listed below.
(1) Complete Week 8 Pre-Test. Read Chapter 19 Sections 1 and 2 (pages 542-545 and
546 - 551). Create a new document with your Google Drive account and title it Your
Name Week 8 Activities. On this new document you will type out each of the Key
Terms and Concepts for Sections 1 & 2, as well as their definitions. Make sure to
label this section Ch. 19 Vocabulary Terms: Sec.s 1 & 2. Watch the video on Legal
System Basics. Complete this activity by 11:59pm Monday of Week 8.
(2) Read Chapter 19 Section 3 (pages 553 - 558) and Chapter 20 Section 1 (pages 564 568). In your "Week 8 Activities document, type out each of the Key Terms and
Concepts for Ch. 19 Section 3 and Ch. 20 Section 1, as well as their definitions. Make
sure to label this section Ch. 19/20: Vocabulary Terms: Sec.s 3 & 1. Watch the
video on the Structure of the Court System Complete this activity by 11:59pm
Tuesday of Week 8.
(3) Read Chapter 20 Section 2 (pages 569 - 573). In your "Week 8 Activities document,
type out each of the Key Terms and Concepts for Section 2, as well as their
definitions. Make sure to label this section Ch. 20: Vocabulary Terms: Sec. 2.
Watch the video on Supreme Court Decisions and Policy Making. Begin working on
Gliffy assignment. Complete this activity by 11:59pm Wednesday of Week 8.
(4) Continue working on your Gliffy assignment. Create a new blog post and insert your
Gliffy assignment as both an image and hyperlink. Visit the SCOTUSblog and read

about the life of a hypothetical court case. Complete this activity by 11:59pm
Thursday of Week 8.
(5) Visit the Discussion Blog and answer the questions for Week 8. Review your Week 8
Google Drive document. Complete the Week 8 Post-Test. Complete this activity by
11:59pm Friday of Week 8.
Resources:
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Chapters to read in Textbook: Ch. 19 Sec.s 1 through 3 (pgs. 542 - 558) and
Ch. 20 Sec.s 1 and 2 (pgs. 564 573).
Legal System Basics: Crash Course Government and Politics #18.
CrashCourse. https://youtu.be/mXw-hEB263k?
list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOfse2ncvffeelTrqvhrz8H
Structure of the Court System: Crash Course Government and Politics #19.
CrashCourse. https://youtu.be/IGyx5UEwgtA?
list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOfse2ncvffeelTrqvhrz8H
S.C.O.T.U.S. Procedures: Crash Course Government and Politics #20.
CrashCourse. https://youtu.be/7sualy8OiKk?
list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOfse2ncvffeelTrqvhrz8H
Supreme Court Procedure. SCOTUSblog.
http://www.scotusblog.com/reference/educational-resources/supreme-courtprocedure/

Discussion Questions:
1. Some people claim that SCOTUS (the Supreme Court of the United States) actually
makes laws. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?

2. As you have learned throughout this lesson, there are many courts within our federal
court system. According to the SCOUTSblog, why would Mr. Lyon file his initial case in
the federal district court?

3. Do you think Mr. Lyons case should have been reversed or affirmed? What evidence do
you have to back up your decision?