1. What do you know about Chief Justice John Roberts?
YOUR TASK:
Read the questions about Chief Justice John Roberts and the events and rulings he has presided over during his time on the Supreme Court.
You need to match the correct answer to the question.
Write the letter of the answer in the corresponding column.

2. Enquiry Question: How conservative has the Robert Courts been?

3. Learning Objectives
To analyse the direction of the Roberts Court since 2005
To evaluate the significance of recent decisions in deciding if the Roberts Court exhibits a balance between judicial activism and judicial restraint
To evaluate the significance of recent appointments to the Supreme Court (Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch)

4. What is the ideological direction of the Roberts Court been over the last 10 years?
YOUR TASK:
Read “Supreme Court's top cases under John Roberts” from USA TODAY.
These are 40 of the most high profile and important cases since Roberts became Chief Justice 10 years ago.
Decide whether the judgement of each case is ideologically liberal (colour code blue) or ideologically conservative (colour code red).

5. Learning Objectives
To analyse the direction of the Roberts Court since 2005
To evaluate the significance of recent decisions in deciding if the Roberts Court exhibits a balance between judicial activism and judicial restraint
To evaluate the significance of recent appointments to the Supreme Court (Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch)

6. Judicial activism
Judicial Restraint
It’s bad to be accused of judicial activism. This term is used when there is (allegedly):
a failure to defer to a political branch of government
a failure to follow constitutional text
a failure to follow established precedent
a decision based on a judge’s political values
a decision you just plain don’t like
It’s good to be accused of judicial restraint. This term is used when there is (allegedly):
proper deference to a political (democratic) branch (or to a state court decision)
adherence to constitutional text
adherence to established precedent
“judicial modesty”
a decision you do like

7. Does the Roberts Court exhibit a balance between judicial activism and judicial restraint?
Evidence of judicial activism in the Roberts Court
Evidence of judicial restraint in the Roberts Court

8. Learning Objectives
To analyse the direction of the Roberts Court since 2005
To evaluate the significance of recent decisions in deciding if the Roberts Court exhibits a balance between judicial activism and judicial restraint
To evaluate the significance of recent appointments to the Supreme Court (Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch)

9. How have appointments over the last 10 years affected the Supreme Court?
Supreme Court Justice
Appointed by who/when
Impact on balance of court
John Roberts
Samuel Alito
Sonia Sotomayor
Elena Kagan
Neil Gorsuch

10. Learning Objectives
To analyse the direction of the Roberts Court since 2005
To evaluate the significance of recent decisions in deciding if the Roberts Court exhibits a balance between judicial activism and judicial restraint
To evaluate the significance of recent appointments to the Supreme Court (Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch)

11. “In the decade since John Roberts was appointed chief justice, the Supreme Court has favoured the powerful at the expense of everyone else.” – The Case Against The Roberts Court

12. Homework
Application Task: To what extent has the Supreme Court advanced conservative values since 2005? (45) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Interpretations and Debates of the US Supreme Court (Pearson p ) Stretch & Challenge Task Article: The Case Against The Roberts Court

13. Additional Articles
How has the Roberts Court ruled on religion?
Court under Roberts is most conservative in decades
Roberts court is not ‘increasingly conservative’
Is John Roberts drifting left?