The Judicial Branch

Date

In Class Activity

Homework

Mon


1/6

All Students
  • Print out and bring to class the FREE SPEECH TRIAL ACTIVITY. For now you only need to interactively read the background for the Tinker article
  • You can print out the vague outline for the unit's 2nd lecture here: 1st Amendment
  • If you missed the start of the Federal Court lecture here is the PDF of the lecture
    AP Students:
     Read 510-516
  • Read Marbury v Madison in your AP Scotus packet (pages 23-25)
Wed


1/8


"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
                                      -George Washington 		All Students
  • Read 538-539 and answer the question in your notes on page 539 (What would you do?) and read page 542
  • Interactively Read Texas v Johnson
  • Download and bring to class the People v. Larry Flynt video guide in case we get to it Friday.
  • AP Students
    Read 525-532, 538-539 and answer the question in your notes on page 539 (What would you do?) and read page 542
  • Interactively read the 14th Amendement

Fri

1/10
  • Continue Lecture/Discussion 1st Amendment
  • Political Tolerance: Individual, team, class discussion
  • Start People v. Larry Flynt
    'Necessity is the excuse for every infringement on freedom.'
                                          -William Pitt
All Students:
  • Read and do Hazelwood Court Analysis
  • Here is the PDF Version
  • Do not forget to talk to your partner about the stocks you have invested in. Make sure you have a balanced portfolio with etfs, mutual funds, bonds, and stocks in different sectors. For each stock you buy you must state why you decided to buy it and why it was a good time to buy it.
    AP Students::
  • Read pages 104-109
  • By next Thurs 1/16) you need to watch the video Shouting Fire and do the worksheet Free Speech.

  • Read McCullough v Maryland p26-29 & Schenk v US p45-47)
  • Be working on your cases for the tutorials
Tues


1/14

  • Discuss Hazelwood
  • Finish People v. Larry Flynt
  • Mini-Lecture: 'Hate Speech' & Freedom of Speech
  • What's Your Opinion Sheet
"Freedom is the concern of the oppressed, and her natural protectors have always come from among the oppressed."
                                      -Camus 		All Students:
Thur


1/16

"The First Amendment has erected a wall between Church and State which must be kept high and impregnable"
                                      -Hugo Black 		All Students:
Tues


1/21

  • Finish Marathon
  • Lecture: Freedom of Religion: Exercise
  • Do Free Exercise Crossfires
  • Finish First Amendment: Assembly: Skokie
"It does me no injury, for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
                                      -Thomas Jefferson
Thur


1/23
  • Finish 1st Amendment
  • Start the 2nd Amendment in America


..to disarm the people - that was the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
                 -George Mason
  • Print out and put in your notes to reference in class this Bill of Rights Primer
  • AP Students:Read pages 126-128 in textbook and do you are the judge on page 128 on a separate page in your notes.
  • Reminder that lawyers for the NY Case must have their briefs up by 1/27 and the Carpenter case by 1/29 and Bostock 2/10
  • Do SCOTUS Reader pages 53-55 (Tinker Case) & (US v Lopez) pages 56-59.
Mon


1/27
  • First Amendment Quest
  • Continue 2nd Amendment
  • All: Write and send a 150 word letter to the editor on the second amendment. Make sure to use relevant statistics and include your viewpoint. Write from the perspective you choose. Take a screen shot of your sent email receipt and print the essay underneath. Also email your congressperson.
  • Don't forget that trial are at tutorial the next two days.
  • AP Students
  • Judges for NY: Print out and Interactively Read the Lawyers Briefs (on facebook tonight).
  • Judges for Carpenter: Print out and Interactively Read the Lawyers Briefs (on facebook tomorrow night).
Wed


1/29
  • Finish 2nd Amendment
  • Start Rights of Accused & Civil Liberties lecture: Basics, Habeas Corpus, Bills of Attainder, Double Jeopardy, Jury, Lawyer, Gideon
  • Clip of Gideon's Trumpet
  • Print out, read through, and put in your notes this civil liberties primer.
  • Watch American Violet for extra credit by next Friday. It is a powerful true docudrama on our judicial system and meet and plead.
  • If you didn't do your 2nd amendment letter to the editor I will accept your assignment until Tuesday for full credit (because I'm so nice).
  • Print out Rights of Accused Court Cases. If you were absent today make sure you print it out
    • AP Students:
  • Be prepared for the Death Penalty Discussion if you didn't already.
  • Read pages 132-135 and do the discussion and writing questions for police cameras
  • Judges for NY need to turn in their opinion by 2/4 and Carpenter by 2/6
  • SCOTUS Reader: McDonald v Chicago (pages 30-34)
  • Interested in poor Sam Sheppard's case from today? Read this. Not guilty?
Fri


1/31

Tues


2/4
  • 8th Amendment Day (Meet in MAP Annex): Joint Day with Mr. Friend

  • Choose Roles for the Women's Right's Newscast
  • Start Civil Rights Lecture: Case Studies What level of Scrutiny?
    AP
  • Print out and interactively read the entire ERA Article . It is due on 2/10 but it is long so get an early start.
  • Lucky you, the president speaks tonight. Print out, watch the SOTU, and do this SOTU handout
Thur


2/6
  • Continue Civil Rights Lecture & Current Events Discussion: Race


Mon


2/10
    ALL
  • Combined Day with Mr. Friend (Meet in Annex) ERA, Abortion, Women's Right's Issues
  • Women's Issues Crossfire
  • Women's Right's Newscast
    • I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.------Mary Wollstonecraft
    To understand how any society functions you must understand the relationship between the men and the women.------Angela Davis
  • If you haven't yet, print out the RBG Studyguide

    • AP
  • SCOTUS Reader: Brown v. Board (pages 6-9)
  • Watch the Frontline De Facto Segregation video (24minutes) and take notes and then write a paragraph about whether or not you think the plan is racially motivated or fair.

Wed

2/12

    ALL
  • Take a quick look at Innocence Project

  • Print out 13th Film Guide
  • Good extra credit film for this unit: Loving
    AP Students:
  • Read pages 138-142; 143-146; 176-183 and do the Young People and Politics on page 142
Fri


2/14
Have you ever sent a loved son on vacation, and had him returned to you in a pine box, so horribly battered and water-logged that someone needs to tell you this sickening sight is your son, lynched?-----Mamie Till

America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 5% of the world's population and 25% of its prisoners. 2.3 million Americans are in prison. Over 65 million people, or 20% of the country, have criminal records. Most disturbingly, nearly 40% of our country's prisoners are African-Americans, who only make up 12% of the general population."

ALL:

Tues

2/25
    ALL
  • Interactively read the Reparations Article and decide which side you will be on for a brief debate

Thur

2/27

  • Finish 13th and the Civil Rights Movement today's issues and (College Admissions) & Debate: Reparations
ALL


  • Print out and put in your binder for when we get to it the American History X film guide .
  • Watch When They See Us for extra credit. Do the normal sheet.
Tues


3/2
  • Joint day in the MAP Annex: Start with English and then watch American History X
 All:
    Finish your video guides and write a little reflection about today's movie: 1.) The original film ends after Danny (Edward Furlong) is shot by a black student (whose brother was killed by Derek (Edward Norton) earlier in the film). In Kaye's version, after this we are taken to a scene in the family apartment where the detectives are trying to comfort Danny's grieving mother and sister. The camera then pans away and cuts to a scene in the bathroom. We see the sink filled with hair and an electric razor next to it. Derek is stood there with his head shaved - he stares in the mirror and looks at the swastika on his chest, before pulling out a pistol. The film ends on a shot of Derek's sick smile, the same smile we saw when he was arrested for his murders earlier in the film; What do you think of this ending? Has Derek reformed enough not to go back to his old ways, or do you think it's more realistic that he goes back to it? 2.Consider the quote from the film Has anything you've done made your life better? Reflect upon it for a second and write a response.
  • Finish Studying for Judicial Branch Test unit page. If you are in AP remember there will be a FRQ question. I'd highly recommend that you've read your AP Government & Politics packet - Rea p 67-77 (hint it might be on the test)
  • Reminder any extra credit and late assignments for the semester are due Tuesday and Just Mercy is Friday Night.
Wed


3/4

  • Field Trip: 9th Circuit Court or Mini-Docs
All Students:
Fri


3/6
  • Field Trip: 9th Circuit Court or Mini-Docs
All Students:
Mon


3/10
  • Rough Cuts
    • (Annex)
  • I will collect your American History X film guide and paragraph on the alternative ending on Thursday.
  • Interactively read the Mandatory Minimum artlces. AP Students:
    • Thur


    3/12
    • MM Day: Meet in the Annex
      • Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo -obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other. ------Angela Davis

    Mon-Fri


    3/16-3/20
    • I guess we won't celebrate my birthday with a Judicial Branch Test. For the moment it is delayed - if it looks like we wont return we will do a written test. I will collect your AP Cases next week on Monday by PDF. Enjoy your week off and do the homework below. We will meet in an all class zoom at 9:30AM on Monday 3/23 and then break into regular classes at 10:30. From now on my 1st period will meet at 10:30-12 and 3rd period 12:30-2 on red days.
    		 All Students: