DO NOW – P. 42

• Paste onto p. 42 and answer the questions

TODAY’S OBJECTIVES

•What is the Supreme Court’s role in interpreting the Constitution?•What is the difference between strict interpretation and loose interpretation?•How have the decisions of the Supreme Court affected your daily life?

INTERPRETING THE CONSTITUTION

• The Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S.• It is the job of the Supreme Court to decide what is

constitutional and what is not• To do so, it must interpret the meaning and intent of the

Constitution itself• There is much debate about how the Constitution should

be interpreted

Notesp. 43

Strict Construction Loose Construction

v.• Relies on the original

text of the Constitution• Bases decisions on

“original intent”• What the framers

meant or wanted

Judge Antonin Scalia

“The Constitution is not a living organism… it’s a legal document and like all legal documents it says some things and doesn’t say others”

• Argues that modern ideas, values, and consequences must be taken into account

Judge William Brennan

“The ultimate question must be, what do the words of the text mean in our time?...The genius of the Constitution rests not in any

static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and gone, but in the

adaptability of its great principles to cope with the current problems and current

needs.”

WHY THE SUPREME COURT MATTERS TO YOU

• Travel around the room and read about each of the six court cases. • Fill out the boxes on your worksheet for

each case• On each of the posters draw in a check to

show if you agree or disagree with the court’s decision

Agree Disagree

REFLECTION – P. 42

• Which of the Supreme Court cases you read about today do you think has the biggest impact on your daily life and why?

Copy and Answer