1. Should any one court be given the final say? Why or why not?
2. Is there a negative side to appointment for life on the Court? Does this and the inability to lessen a justice's salary really prevent influencing a Supreme Court Justice?
3. Do you think the Supreme Court is a de facto lawmaker? Why or why not?
4. Is it possible for the justices to provide a fair review of a case when they hear about it so briefly from the lawyers arguing it before them?
5. Should the Supreme Court accept so few cases? Does the fact the justices decide this totally in private concern you?
6. Do you think the current Supreme Court is carrying out the desires of the founders of our Constitution?
7. Explain where you see the real power of the Supreme Court. What makes the justices so powerful as individuals and as a group?
8. Do you believe the Supreme Court acted properly in the 2000 presidential election inBush v. Gore(2000)?
9. If you were sitting on the Supreme Court, what sorts of cases would you look for to review?
10. What facts or circumstances might a justice focus on if he or she interpreted the Constitution using precedent as a guiding principle? What about if the justice approached interpretation from the standpoint of the original intent of the authors of the Constitution?