Homeschool Study Guides - The United States Government

	Search for
Home \| Legal \| About Us \| Link To Us \| Bookmark Us \| Recommend Us \| Suggest a Link \| Search \| Feedback \| Contact

Homeschool Fast Facts!
FASTFACTS

US Government	Teach-At-Home
The Foundation of the U.S. Government
The U.S. Constitution established the three branches of the U.S. Government:
The Executive Branch - headed by the President The Legislative Branch - the Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) The Judicial Branch - the Supreme Court (and other federal courts.)

The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States of America. It has nine justices who are appointed for life by the president with the Senate's approval. Eight of the nine justices are called "associate justices." The ninth justice is called the "chief justice," with responsibility to preside over the Court's meetings.

Responsibilities
The Supreme Court's major responsibilities are to judge cases that involve:
federal laws actions of the president treaties of the United States laws passed by the state governments
in order to ensure that these laws or actions do not conflict with the U.S. Constitution.

The Review Process
Most cases must go through other federal or state courts, known as "lower courts," before they go to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the final court for a case. Because of the high volume of requests and the impact of a decision, the Supreme Court uses "judicial self-restraint," which means that it tries to avoid deciding cases whenever it can. A Supreme Court ruling can affect the outcome of thousands of cases in the lower courts around the country. The Supreme Court tries to use its tremendous power only when a case presents a pressing constitutional issue.

The Review Process

Most cases must go through other federal or state courts, known as "lower courts," before they go to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the final court for a case. Because of the high volume of requests and the impact of a decision, the Supreme Court uses "judicial self-restraint," which means that it tries to avoid deciding cases whenever it can. A Supreme Court ruling can affect the outcome of thousands of cases in the lower courts around the country. The Supreme Court tries to use its tremendous power only when a case presents a pressing constitutional issue.

The Decision is Final!
Each year the Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions to hear cases, but it usually considers only a relative few of these cases. If the Court declines to hear a case, the decision of the lower court stands as the final word on the case. If the Supreme Court finds that a law or action violates the Constitution, the justices declare it unconstitutional. When the Supreme Court makes a ruling, its decision is final, and all parties must abide by it.

The Decision is Final!

Each year the Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions to hear cases, but it usually considers only a relative few of these cases. If the Court declines to hear a case, the decision of the lower court stands as the final word on the case. If the Supreme Court finds that a law or action violates the Constitution, the justices declare it unconstitutional. When the Supreme Court makes a ruling, its decision is final, and all parties must abide by it.

The Justices
By law the Court's term begins the first Monday in October and usually runs through the end of June. The nine justices for the 1999-2000 session are pictured below. Click their picture to read a biography.

Supreme Court History Site

The Federal Judiciary Site

** Teach-At-Home: Your Homeschool Resource Center **

Please E-Mail your comments or suggestions.

ICRA Labelled

2000-2008 Teach-At-Home, Inc.

Teach-At-Home Inc. has no liability for any content or goods on the

Teach-At-Home site or the Internet, except as set forth in the Site Terms of Use.

Site Terms of Use | Advertise | FAQ | Privacy