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| Supreme Court Building; photo by dbking |
"The constitution ... is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist, and shape into any form they please."
Thomas Jefferson1
Topic Description
The United States Supreme Court is the centerpiece of the Judicial Branch of United States government. The nine justices who form the Supreme Court are responsible for interpreting and upholding the Constitution of the United States. This website contains lists of resources that will help the reader develop an understanding of the history of the Supreme Court, landmark cases, and the men and women who have served on the highest court in the land. Additionally, sources are included that describe and illustrate the relationship between the Judicial Branch and the Executive and Legislative Branches of United States government. These resources will be helpful to anyone who is interested in learning about the Supreme Court, but they were compiled with middle and high school students in mind. The need for students' understanding of the role of the U.S. Supreme Court is reflected in Indiana Academic Standards2 for 8th grade social studies (8.2.3 Explain how and why legislative, executive and judicial powers are distributed, shared and limited in the constitutional government of the United States) and high school government (USG.3.11 Analyze the functions of the judicial branch of the United States and Indiana governments with emphasis on the principles of due process, judicial review and and independent judiciary). The sources were selected to help students achieve mastery of those standards to the extent that they refer to the judicial branch of federal government.Source Selection
The sources included in this website represent a variety of quality resources in both print and digital formats. The selection of books includes encyclopedias, general information books, and biographies. The majority of the books are part of the H.W. Wilson Senior High Core collection, as found in the EBSCO database. Web-based resources included in this bibliography are also all reputable. Most of the websites are published by the United States government. The others are affiliated with reliable educational or civics-minded institutions. With the exception of the podcasts available through iTunes, all of the resources listed in the webliography contain direct links to the source or a means of obtaining the source. Information-seekers can click on the link to access the source in a separate window. Many of the sources themselves include links to additional pages with useful information about the topic.
Site Layout
The categories of resources can be accessed using the tabs along the top of the page:
Books: Encyclopedias, General information, Biographies
Online Resources: Almanacs, Online encyclopedias, Government websites & documents, General information, Articles accessed through the INSPIRE database, and Subscription databases
Audiovisual: DVDs, Web-based resources including videos, podcasts, and images
Extras: Games, Resources for teachers including lesson plans
Searching Strategies: Tips for finding resources beyond the ones listed in this webliography.
Enjoy learning about the United States Supreme Court!
Enjoy learning about the United States Supreme Court!
1Thomas Jefferson to Spencer Rone. (1819). http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a1_8_18s16.html
2Indiana
Academic Standards. (2011). https://learningconnection.doe.in.gov/Standards/PrintLibrary.aspx
