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Chapter 16: The Courts

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This activity contains 2 questions.

	The Politics of Judicial Selection Sometimes Congress and the President get bogged down and don't appoint or confirm judges fast enough to fill vacancies. As the text notes, this has in recent years become a big problem because increasingly in a divided government where the Senate is controlled by a party different than that of the president it is difficult to reach agreement on judges. The judicial branch often complains that it can't get the work done it needs to get done because the other two branches aren't working fast enough to confirm new judges. Let's see how many judicial vacancies there are right now. Search Tips Go to http://www.uscourts.gov/news.html and click on "Judicial Vacancies Listing" on the left hand side of the page. Review the various links and get a sense of the vacancies across the federal judiciary, and where you live. Questions to Ask How would you describe the state of judicial vacancies across the country? How would you describe the state of judicial vacancies where you live? Why it Matters In order for the judicial branch of government to function as it is supposed to function it has to have enough judges. When there are too few judges for the amount of work that needs to be done the entire judicial system comes under strain. Get Involved Send your two senators e-mail messages asking them about the state of judicial vacancies in your state.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	The Court as Policymakers Every time the Supreme Court rules on a case it makes public policy of some sort. Sometimes the court rules in a way that forces a state or the federal government to stop an activity. Other times it rules in a way that forces a state or the federal government to do something. Since the Supreme Court is the last stop in the appeals process, it is also often the last word on important policy questions. Even though the Supreme Court is the third branch of government, the rest of the federal government, and in particular the executive branch, often has a lot riding on Supreme Court decisions. How is the executive branch represented before the Supreme Court? Let's find out. Search Tips Go to http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/ and read about the Office of the Solicitor General. Questions to Ask What is the Solicitor General's job? How is the Solicitor General involved in public policy? What are some recent filings made by the Solicitor General before the Supreme Court? Are there any that you disagree with? Any that you agree with? Why? Why it Matters Even though it is one of the three branches of government, the Supreme Court often has such an impact on public policy that the executive branch needs someone to represent it before the Supreme Court. Get Involved Keep track of cases in which the Solicitor General files a brief at the Supreme Court. These cases often involve great public policy debates in our society.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

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