The Legislative and Judicial Branches

Welcome to Government B!

Norms:

Show up! - Showing up is half the battle. I guarantee you, that if you show up and follow my lesson schedule, you WILL get your credit by the end of the quarter.

Participate! Make this class the focus during the time we are together.

Remember! The teacher works for you - do not be afraid to ask for help or clarification.

For Tech Support- if you cannot reach your mentor for help, the district has a help line for students. You can call 208-350-5300 from 7:30 am to 4:30 am.

Learning Activity #1 - Who Represents Me in Washington, DC?

Once you become aware of issues, it is important to let your Congressman in Washington DC know of your thoughts about an issue. Below is a paper that you may use later to complete your performance task. Sometimes the paper disappears, please click on the white expanse below, expand it, and copy the assignment.

As you research your Congressmen/President you will be asked about their current actions? Have they introduced any bills in Congress? Have they served on any committees? What contribution are they making to the law making process?

On the right, you can add the name of our Senators and Representatives and see how they have voted on bills in Congress.

After this assignment, you will be able to write your congressman to let them know if you agree or disagree with their actions. Remember, the government is working for you. Make your voice heard.

The Voter's Self Defense SystemVote Smart provides free, unbiased, in-depth information about current officials, candidates, issues, legislation, and voting. Non-partisan and nonprofit since 1988.

Who Represents Me in Washington, DC

Learning Activity #2 - How Does a Bill Become a Law?

Create a Graphic explaining how a Bill goes from an idea to a law. Take a picture of your graphic and submit into Slate.

Create a poster, or if you have some mad digital design skills, you can draw something on your tablet.

Or.....

You can write a fictional story of how your idea became a law.

See teacher for help or clarification

Graphic of How a Bill becomes a law

Learning Activity #3 - Of Taxes and Other Deductions

One major responsibility of the Legislature is taxes. It is the Legislature that decides what should be taxed and by how much.

Remember Federalism? Power is divided between the federal and state governments?

That is why we get to pay both federal and state taxes!

On the left are graphs that show the Federal Budget back in 2018.

Revenues are what is coming in

Outlays is what the government needs to pay for.

Quiz yourself: What is the biggest source of money for the US government?

What are the two biggest expenditures for the US government?

Taxes

Learning Activity #4 - Recent Federal Laws

What has our legislature been up to lately? Let's take a look. Click on the link and see a continuously updating list of Congressional activities.

US Congress 2019-2020 116th Congress LegislationBill tracking browser for US Congress 2019-2020 116th Congress legislation

Recent Federal Laws

Learning Activity #5 - FEMA and Natural Disasters

SS. 3.1, 4.1, 4.2 - Human and Environmental Interactions

FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It falls under the Department of Homeland Security.

Their role is disaster response. In 2018, FEMA had a budget of 18 million dollars to help with nationwide disasters. In 2022, the budget was raised to 19 billion dollars.

Your task - research the FEMA response of 2021 -

www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations

Mapping & Interactions CA

Learning Activity #6 - Idaho Legislative Districts - Who Represents Me Here in Idaho?

Click on the link to the right or at the bottom. It looks like a gray box. But when you click on it, you will see a map of Idaho divided into many little sections. Find your area on the map. Then, go back to the first page and see who your legislators are from your district.

Then, research their activities in the Idaho Statehouse. Once again, using votesmart.org, you can research what your senator or representative have been doing on your behalf in the Idaho Capitol.

Click on the link below to find out which legislative district you live in

https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/legislators/District%20Maps.pdf

Who Represents Me in Idaho

Learning Activity #7 - Recent Idaho Laws - Google "Idaho Legislation 2024" to see most current legislative action

LAW + = Means this is now Idaho law

VETOED = Governor did not sign into law

H = House

S = Senate

Many bills will have initials like H Rev/Tax. That means the bill is (was) being discussed in the House Committee of Revenue and Taxation.

Recent Idaho Laws

8. Who are my City Officials?

Who Are My City Officials

9. Performance Task #1 - Writing My Representative

SS 1.2 - Analyze multiple perspectives

SS 1.5 - Analyze outcomes as either change, continuity, or both

Remember, government officials work for you. If you are not making your voice heard, then you cannot complain about decisions being made.

Tens of thousands of letters, e-mail messages and faxes arrive at the White House every day. From these, ten are painstakingly selected to be placed in the President's briefing book each weeknight. These letters give the president a sampling menu of what Americans are thinking.

What is on your mind that you would like to tell the President or Governor? As you think about what you want to address, keep in mind that your letter needs to be rational, and not emotionally based. Though emotion is good, you do not want to come across badly. If you are against an action of the President or Governor, attack the action, and not the person.

Fill out the template below to help guide your writing. Then, the teacher will help you send the letter. We will use the School address. It is below.

Performance Task: Writing My Representative

The Judicial Branch

The Judicial Branch is probably the most ignored and under appreciated branch of the government. But think, what would happen to our society if we did not have a judicial system?

Some things to ask yourself:

What would keep the president or legislature from doing something unconstitutional?

How would victims get justice?

Who would protect civil liberties and civil rights?

How would citizens act if they knew that they would "never get in trouble?"

The nine justices above have a lot of decisions to make - and over time, many of those decisions can and have shaped our country.

The Supreme Court justices are nominated by the President. The nominee then goes before the Senate for questioning and then the Senate decides whether the nominee gets the job. This appointment is one for life - or if the justice wants to retire. Now that we are divided into political parties, when a president chooses a nominee, it is because that justice is more likely to support the President's political viewpoint.

Learning Activity #10 - Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

2.3 Build Civic Knowledge

When you stop to think about it, what is the difference between Civil Liberties and Civil Rights? Why is it important to have knowledge about both types?

On the right, you will see a list of cases about Civil Liberties and another list below about Civil Rights. Choose a case from each list and use the worksheet below to organize your thoughts for your essay.

Students have a tendency to get stressed when they see the two page minimum. If you are thorough in answering the questions on the help sheet below, the two pages will fill up quickly.

Please ask for help, if needed.

List of Civil Liberties Cases

Cases about Civil Rights

What is the difference between civil liberties and civil rights

Learning Activity #11 - Politics and the Supreme Court Spotlight

Remember George Washington's farewell speech where he implored Americans to not break into political parties? Well, we did and one way breaking into parties has changed the dynamic of the Constitution is with the nomination of Supreme Court justices.

Because serving on the Supreme Court is a life-long job, presidents want to make sure the justice(s) they nominate has the same views of the Constitution as they have.

BUT - this seeming polarization of the Judicial Branch rankles judges. They feel that they are impartial judges who are bound to the Constitution and not political parties.

For example, in the ruling, Texas v Johnson, the Supreme Court ruled that flag burning is a protected form of free speech though the judges admitted in their ruling that they personally found flag burning reprehensible.

The current Supreme Court justices are:

Sonia Sotomayor
Elena Kagan
Katanji Brown-Jackson - Newest member of the Supreme Court
John Roberts
Samuel Alito
Neil Gorsuch
Brett Kavanaugh
Clarence Thomas
Amy Coney Barrett

Your job is to research a justice, and follow the process to becoming a member of the Supreme Court.

Learning Activity #10 - Politics and the Supreme Court

Learning Activity #12 - Recent Supreme Court Rulings that Overturned Laws/Actions

Click on the link to the right to see a list of current Supreme Court rulings that have overturned laws/rulings.

Find a case that you would like to research more about. Highlight that case, and paste into the search bar. Look to see if there is an OYEZ link to look at. OYEZ is an easy to read website that explains the court cases in a more clear manner.

Table of Laws Held Unconstitutional in Whole or in Part by the Supreme Court | Resources | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of CongressA table of federal, state, and local laws held unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Recent Supreme Court Rulings That Overturned Laws/Actions

Learning Activity #13 - Overturned Supreme Court Rulings- Amendments to the Constitution

SS. Examine enduring problems

You have learned about the role of the Supreme Court in checks and balances - but how does the Supreme Court get "checked?" Remember, the Constitution can be changed so Supreme Court rulings can become obsolete. Here are 4 examples of how the Legislative Branch amended the Constitution and thereby overturned earlier Supreme Court decisions.

The 13th and 14th Amendments, which banned slavery and required the states to provide equal protection of the laws, were enacted after the Civil War to overturn the disgraceful Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857), which had claimed that blacks were inferior to whites and upheld slavery.

The 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in 1920, reversed several court decisions, including the Supreme Court’s ruling in Minor v. Happersett, 88 U.S. 162 (1875), which disenfranchised women and ruled that they did not have the right to vote under the Constitution.

The 24th Amendment in 1964 abolished poll taxes that literally taxed people who wanted to vote, reversing the Supreme Court’s decision in Breedlove v. Suttles, 302 U.S. 277 (1937), which had ruled that such taxes were constitutional.

The 26th Amendment made clear that all U.S. citizens 18 years of age and older have the right to vote in 1971. That overruled the Supreme Court’s ruling in Oregon v. Mitchell, 400 U.S. 112 (1970), which said that Congress could not reduce the voting age from 21 to 18.

Overturned Supreme Court Rulings

14 - ERA Movement - An Amendment in Limbo

SS 1.3- Analyze Historical Sources

ERA Movement - An Amendment in Limbo

Performance Task #2 - Supreme Court Case Project

SS 2.2 - Examining enduring problems

SS 1.4 - Evaluate the importance of people's actions in shaping outcomes

SS 1.2 - Analyze multiple perspectives

Supreme Court Case Project

Engaging as a citizen

Engaging as a Citizen - Green Portfolio

Page updated

Report abuse