Capstone Project

Capstone Challenge: A Living Document

Relevance to Life / Learning

Despite the Supreme Court's limitations in implementing decisions, the justices often set policies that lead to real social change. So even though justices don't do a great deal of their work in public, and most Americans don't have a good sense of what they do, their decisions are very important. The Supreme Court has real power in the American political system.

Essential Questions to address:

• How do laws affect people on an individual level, state level and federal level?
• Which level of government has a greater impact on people's lives, Federal or State and local?
• How are individual citizens affected by Supreme Court decisions?

Required Understandings

• The Supreme Court has a special role to play in the United States system of government. The Constitution gives it the power to check, if necessary, the actions of the President and Congress.
• The Supreme Court is the final judge in all cases involving laws of Congress, and the highest law of all - the Constitution.
• Policy affects everyone.
• Throughout history, individual rights have been considered and reconsidered.
• Civil liberties refer to the freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, such as the freedom of speech or religion. Civil rights protect all persons from discrimination both by the government and other individuals. Initially, African Americans were the focus of civil rights protections, but the protections have expanded to cover other racial and ethnic groups, women, the elderly, the disabled, and gays and lesbians.

TURN THIS INTO SLATE WHEN FINISHED: FOLLOW THE GOOGLE DOCUMENT FOR GUIDANCE