1. Why is the U.S. Supreme Court a branch of government which remains a mystery? Videotaping is not allowed in the Supreme Court and justices do not grant interviews

2. What is Justice Anthony Kennedy considered today? He is considered the “swing vote” between conservative and liberal justices

3. Who is the present chief justice? John G. Roberts Jr.

4. Who was the longest serving justice in history? William O. Douglas – 36 years

5. Why do justices get their jobs for life? To grant them independence from influence and safeguard separation of powers

6. Why are so many decisions 5 to 4? Because the justices are so evenly split between conservatives and liberals

7. Do U.S. Supreme court decisions ever change? Explain Yes, examples include Plessy v. Ferguson and Dred Scott v. Sandford

8. Was Obamacare found to be constitutional? Yes, the Affordable Healthcare Act was found to be constitutional

9. What did The Defense of Marriage Act do? Act which defended the traditional definition of marriage as the only legally acceptable one

10. What change took place as the 96th justice was appointed to the Supreme Court? Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American justice, was nominated to the US Supreme Court

11. “The Connor challenge” Name the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices: Alito, Breyer, Ginsburg. Thomas, Sotomayor, Scalia, Roberts, Kagan and Kennedy