Court Video Exercise & Written Assignment
May 19th, 2022
For students to observe and analyze a video of a Belmont University conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr on February 7th, 2019. Video is available at
A Conversation with Chief Justice John Roberts
Instructions
Write a 2-3 page paper (12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1” margins) that includes your answers to the following questions based on your analysis of the video:
- An introduction (no more than ½ a page) briefly summarizing the education and professional background of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.
- A body (about 1 1/2 to 2 pages) where you clearly and concisely answer the following questions based on Chief Justice Roberts’s comments in the conversation with Dean Alberto Gonzalez:
- 1. How does CJ Roberts view his role on the U.S. Supreme Court under the Constitution?
- 2. What argument does CJ Roberts make about the role of the Court in deciding too many issues involving public policy?
- 3. What is the “most important thing” about the US Constitution according to CJ Roberts and why?
- 4. What does CJ Roberts say about how he views his responsibility of bringing more consensus in decision making on the Court? What is his solution to preventing narrowly divided decisions (i.e., 5 to 4)?
- 5. Who is the audience for CJ Roberts when he writes an opinion for the Supreme Court, why does he write for them and how is this different from other justices?
- 6. What are the reasons why CJ Roberts believes the confirmation process for federal judges is not working the way it was intended? What questions would he ask a nominee if he were a Senator and why?
- 7. How does CJ Roberts describe the changes that occur when a new member is appointed to the Supreme Court?
- 8. Why does CJ Roberts argue that people should think of Supreme Court justices differently from “conservative” or “liberal” or the appointee of a particular president?
- 9. Why is the lack lack of knowledge about the Supreme Court’s power and role in America a problem and how does CJ Roberts think it could improve?
- 10. Is it important for CJ Roberts that Supreme Court justices attend the President’s State of the Union address? why?
- A conclusion (no more than 1 page) where you explain how CJ Roberts’s ideas and arguments expressed in the video relate to the key concepts, terms, or themes presented in Chapter 13 of the B&C textbook. I expect you to properly cite (i.e., page number) the textbook to show where and how you are making these connections.
Due Date
Your written summary must be uploaded on Canvas no later than Monday, April 29th by 11:59 pm.
Grading
Written summary adequately addresses the above requirements=4 points
