Module 5: The Judiciary
The courtroom is a popular setting in countless books, television shows, stage plays, and movies. It is the perfect place for characters to deliver dramatic speeches. Because it is the highest court in the nation, arguing a case in front of the Supreme Court adds to the dramatic tension. During the oral arguments, all nine justices are seated on the bench, in their robes, listening to both sides of the case. For this assignment, you will be presenting an oral argument.
Choose a Supreme Court case from history and pretend you are one of the attorneys tasked with delivering the oral argument to the Supreme Court. Feel free to select a historically significant case or a modern case that addresses issues you are passionate about. During a Supreme Court case, each side is given exactly thirty minutes to present its oral argument. Your oral argument should be around three to five minutes in length and address the following questions:
- Who are the parties before the Court? Identify the plaintiff/prosecutor and the defendant in each case.
- What is the question being brought forth to the Court?
- If this case was heard in a lower court, what was the lower court’s decision?
- How does the U.S. Constitution, including the Amendments, support your position?
- Are there any precedents, or previous court decisions, that support your case?
- How will the Court's decision, whether in favor or against, impact American public policy?
Your oral argument should be well-organized, creative, and interesting. Try to persuade the Supreme Court Justices to agree with your point of view. You may want to use an outline to help organize your oral argument. In addition to your audio file, you should submit a transcript of your oral argument. Use the audio recording information found in the Developmental Module to help you create your oral argument.
Before you begin, access the Oral Argument Checklist to make sure that you include all of the items required for full credit. You may need to use resources outside of this course to complete this assignment. If so, please submit a Works Cited document. If you need assistance, please visit the Developmental Module for information on citing any resources that you use.
Reflection
At the end of the transcript of your oral argument, please answer the following questions in a brief four to five sentence response. Why did you select this Supreme Court case? How has the decision of this case impacted your life? If the Court's decision was reversed, how would your life change?
Once you have completed your script, audio file, reflection, and Works Cited document, please submit your work to the dropbox.
Once you have completed this module, please complete the module test.