POLS101

Directions

:

The purpose of this exercise is for you to become familiar with the working of the federal courts, in 

this  case  the  U.S.  Supreme  Court.    It  is  an  Article  III  (of  the  U.S.  Constitution)  study  to

ol.    Please  follow  these 

instructions carefully.

1.

Visit the United States Supreme Court website at 

www.supremecourtus.gov

2.

Select a current Supreme Court Justice.

3.

Research the life and some of the significant

cases for which this justice has prepared the Court’s written 

opinion.

4.

Prepare a research paper that addresses the following issues:

a.

A brief (two paragraph) biography of the subject.

b.

What is the justice’s ideological orientation:  liberal, conservative

, strict constructionist, etc.

c.

Discuss  two  to  three  significant  opinions  that  this  justice  has  drafted 

–

either  as  majority 

opinions,  concurring  opinions,  or  dissenting  opinions.    Your  discussion  should  include  the 

justice’s decision in the case, the Cour

t’s decision, the justice’s reasoning, and its effect on 

American jurisprudence.

d.

If you were the justice, would you have come to the same conclusion?  Was this holding “good 

law?”  Why??

Address these issues in a paper of four (4) to five (5) pages in le

ngth.  The paper should be typed, double

-

spaced, 

1” margins, with a font size no larger than 12 point, nor smaller the 10 point.  

Undertake  as  much  outside 

research as necessary to adequately answer the qu