2.1 Judiciary- Learning Objectives and Chapter Summary

The Judiciary

Learning Objectives

1.  Trace the development of the federal judiciary and the origins of judicial review

2.  Describe the structure and main components of the American legal system

3.  Explain the organization of the federal court system


4.  Outline the criteria and process used to select federal court judges

5.  Evaluate the Supreme Court’s process for accepting, hearing, and deciding cases

6.  Analyze the factors that influence judicial decision making


7.  Assess the role of the Supreme Court in the policy-making process

 

Chapter Summary

In many ways, the Supreme Court remains more cloaked than other branches of government. Congress and the presidency seem to actively seek publicity and public attention while the Court seems to shun it. Congress can be seen daily on C-SPAN and its committee meetings and deliberations are usually open to the public. The president gives press conferences and is followed by the White House press corps. But the Supreme Court steadfastly remains private. Cameras are forbidden. Only recently did the Court begin to let tapes of oral argument be made public and then only weeks after the event. Several justices have been quoted as saying cameras would be allowed in their court only over their dead bodies. However, the Court is the ultimate arbiter of what the Constitution means. In recent years the Court’s caseload has dropped dramatically and it now only takes on about 75 cases a year.