Vacancy on the Court

1. Set Focus 
Pose these essential questions: What is the role of a judicial system in a democracy? How do citizens of a democracy ensure that its judicial system fulfills that role?

2. Read and Discuss 
Have students read the article, marking key ideas and questions. Then ask them to answer the following questions, citing text evidence:

• Summarize Ketanji Brown Jackson’s experience. Regardless of your personal politics, do you think she meets the standard for the qualifications a nominee to the Supreme Court should have? Explain. (Students should cite Jackson’s experience as explained in the article. Opinions will vary but should be supported.)

• What claim does the author make at the end of the first paragraph of the article? What details does she include to support this claim? (The author claims that the confirmation process for Jackson will likely be contentious. She supports this claim by referencing past confirmations that were contentious, quoting a senator who suggests the process won’t be quick, and pointing to the current highly partisan state of politics.)

• At the end the article, Maine Senator Susan Collins says, “I just don’t think that is good for the country, nor the Court.” What does she mean? Do you agree with her? Explain? (She means a contentious confirmation process would be bad for the country and the Court. Opinions will vary but should be supported.)

3. Core Skill Practice
Assign, print, or project the activity Write a Case Brief. Have students go to www.oyez.org and other reliable sites to research a famous ruling in Court history, making notes on the graphic organizer. Then have students use their notes to write a case brief and present their brief to the class.

4. Writing Prompt
Research one of the cases in the sidebar “Hot-Button Cases.” Write one page predicting the majority opinion and reasons the majority will give for voting that way.

5. Classroom Debate
Should Supreme Court justices have term limits?

6. Quiz & Skills
Assess comprehension with the quiz.