Share your Current Event Time! Take our your current event from yesterday and share out with your partner, then the class. How do you think your case got to the Supreme Court?

Basics of the Judicial Branch Jez this one is complicated!

How does a case get to The Bench? A Petition for Writ of Certiorari must be filed to have a case considered by the Supreme Court 4 or more justices must say yes for it to be granted The court will hear about 80 cases a year, deciding 50 or so without hearing arguments, but simply reviewing the facts of the case.

3 Ways a case can reach the Court 1. Appeals to Courts of Appeals Decisions An appeal to a decision issued by of one of the U.S. Courts of Appeal that sit below the Supreme Court. The 94 federal judicial districts are divided into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a court of appeals. The appeals courts decide whether or not lower trial courts had applied the law correctly in their decisions. Three judges sit on the appeals courts and no juries are used. Parties wishing to appeal a circuit court’s decision file a petition for writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court as described above.

Continued… 2. Appeals From State Supreme Courts An appeal to a decision by one of the state supreme courts. Each of the 50 states has its own supreme court that acts as the authority on cases involving state laws. Not all states call their highest court the “Supreme Court.” For example, New York calls its highest court the New York Court of Appeals. While it is rare for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear cases appeals to rulings by the state supreme courts dealing with issues of state law, the Supreme Court will hear cases in which the state supreme court’s ruling involves an interpretation or application of the Constitution.

Finished 3. Under the Court’s ‘Original Jurisdiction’ Original jurisdiction cases are heard directly by the Supreme Court without going through the appeals courts process. Under Article III, Section II of the Constitution, the Supreme Court has original and exclusive jurisdiction over rare but important cases involving disputes between the states, and/or cases involving ambassadors and other public ministers. Under federal law at 28 U.S.C. § 1251. Section 1251(a), no other federal court is allowed to hear such cases.

Warm Up 10-24 Have you ever or a family member ever had to go to court? If so what was it for, if not, what do you think the most common reason people go to court is and why?

Local Court System Civil vs. Criminal trials Criminal is for any act that breaks the law and focuses on criminal wrongdoing Civil trials focus on disputes over money, property, ect. (essentially anything not criminal) These trials take place at a county level and are thus the lowest branch of the Judicial System

Governor Elections Using our worksheet and Chromebooks search “ballotpedia governor California” Click on the top link titled “California gubernational election, 2018” Follow the instructions on the handout using ballotpedia to research the race for California Governor

Warm Up 10-29 Do you feel prepared to vote in the upcoming election if you had to? Is there any issue or candidate you feel you don’t know enough about? What is that, if none, then what issue or candidate are you most passionate about?

Writing Prompt Research any part of the upcoming election you are unsure about. Write a paragraph on a spare piece of paper as to why you thought that was the most important aspect of the election to learn more about.

Warm UP 10-31 POST QUIZ Let’s watch the following video from VICE News After the video, write a 20-30 word response that has your instant reaction to what you saw And how could abuse of this practice effect the outcome of the upcoming election