Directions:

1. Go to the webpage for the Federal Judiciary and get an overview of the website.
   
   
2. Then click on the Educational Resource page and read about a Real-Life Scenarios.
   
   
3. Now click on Federal Courts: Role and Structure and explore the structure and operation of the nation's court system.
   
   
4. Use the links below to help you create an organizational chart of the Federal Judiciary. Your diagram should display the various courts in ascending order. The courts to be included in this display are: | Westlaw | US Courts | FJC | PDF Chart |
   
   (Your textbook also has organizational charts on pages 507 and 514 and descriptions for each court on pp.512-520 and pp.524-526)
   
   
   • Military Courts
   • U.S. Tax Court
   • Territorial Courts
   • District Courts
   • Courts of the District of Columbia
   • U.S. Court of Veterans' Appeals
   • U.S. Court of International Trade
   • U.S. Claims Court
   • U.S. Court of Military Appeals
   • U.S. Courts of Appeals
   • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal District, and
   • the Supreme Court.

5. After you have completed you graphic display, briefly explain the function, make-up, and jurisdiction of each court. Remember to include all the information but be brief—summarize and condense.

Submit your electronic diagram and summary information as a Word Document in the Assignments Folder.

Directions:

Now look at this list of possible cases. Using your organizational chart and the descriptions you wrote for each court, determine where this case would go first to be heard in the federal judicial system. In your Word document, simply type the number of the case and assign it to a court.

*** After you research each case, submit your answers using the assessment posted in Blackboard ***

1. A captain in the U.S. Army is accused of disobeying an order from a superior officer and putting the lives of his men in grave danger.
2. A man sues the federal government, claiming his taxes are too high
3. A construction contractor sues the federal government because he did not receive payment for services he performed.
4. France brings the United States to court over an argument concerning tariffs on French wines.
5. A resident of the District of Columbia is accused of breaking federal law.
6. You live in the Northern Mariana Islands and the federal government takes you to court because you have not paid federal income taxes for the last 17 years.
7. As a Gulf War veteran you seek payment from the federal government for injuries and lost wages due you have incurred due to the fact that you suffer from Gulf War Syndrome.
8. The United States sues the state of Illinois for failure to provide the citizens of that state with a representative form of government as guaranteed in the Constitution.
9. Major League Baseball owners and players fail to reach contract agreements and a strike ensues. Which federal court may step in to resolve this dispute?
10. You lose a case in U.S. Tax Court and still think you are right; where do you go next.

*** After you research each case, submit your answers using the assessment posted in Blackboard ***

Directions:

1. Go to About the Supreme Court. There you will find links dealing with the following subjects:

   • The Court as an Institution
   • The Court and Its Traditions
   • The Court and Its Procedures
   • The Justices Caseload

2. Read each one of these files (4 pages) and take notes. Your task is to create a PowerPoint presentation that illustrates and explains how the Supreme Court operates.

   Key questions to address in this presentation include the following:

   • What were the early years of the Court like? (2 to 3 slides)
   • What are three traditions of the Court that remain to this day? (3 to 5 slides)
   • How does the Court "hear" a case? (3 to 5 slides)
   • How has the number of cases the Court hears changed over time? (1 slide)

Submit your completed PowerPoint presentation in the Assignments Folder.

Directions:

1. At the Supreme Court website you will find biographies of current members of the Court.

2. Follow the link and read the biographies. Remember that the Constitution does not outline any qualifications for Supreme Court Justices.

3. Based on your reading, in your opinion, what does it take to be appointed and approved as a Supreme Court Justice?

4. What kind of background, training, and experience do the current Justices share?

Submit you answer these questions as a Word Document in the Assignments Folder.

Directions:

1. Go the website for Cornell University Law School and read the facts in the case of Owasso Independent School District v. Falvo, Kristja.
   | Find MORE INFO Here |

2. This case deals with privacy issues and students grading each other's papers in the classroom.

   Read the details of the case and decide how you would rule if you were a Justice sitting on the Supreme Court and hearing this case.

   After you make your decision, be prepared to write an opinion explaining why (remember—the Constitution is your basis for your reasoning) and post it on the Discussion Board under the forum titled "Supreme Court Case." See how others have ruled. Do you agree?

Make sure that you post to the Discussion Board and respond to at least two (2) comments from your classmates to receive credit for this assignment.