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This article explores the influential role of the United States Supreme Court in recent decades, including the definition of constitutional rights, affirmation of equal rights, and upholding the rule of law. It also discusses the impact of federalism on the Reagan presidency and the federal government's role in today's economy.
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The Supreme Court, Federalism and the Reagan Presidency, and the Federal Government’s Role in Today’s Economy
In what three ways has theUnited States Supreme Court played a key role in recent decades?
Defining a constitutional right to privacy • Affirming equal rights • Upholding the rule of law
What did all Supreme Court justices have in common until 1967? • They were all white males.
Who was the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court? • Thurgood Marshall
Who was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court? • Sandra Day O’Connor
Who was the second African-American to serve on the Supreme Court? • Clarence Thomas
Who was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court? • Ruth Bader Ginsburg
How have Supreme Court decisions affected individual rights since the 1954 Brown decision? • They have expanded individual rights.
What mid-twentieth century movement served as a model for other groups to work for civil rights and equal justice? • The Civil Rights movement
How have the federal courts protected employment opportunities for American women? • 1964 Civil Rights Act • Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment
How did the Supreme Court rule in Reed v. Reed? • Said an Idaho law that gave preference to men over women was unconstitutional, because it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
What legal precedent did Reed v. Reed set? • Set precedent that the Supreme Court could use the Equal Protection Clause to protect the rights of American women under certain circumstances
How did the Supreme Court rule in Texas v. Johnson? • Ruled in favor of a Texas man who was arrested for burning an American flag as a political protest
According to the Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson, what constitutional amendment protects an American’s right to burn the American flag?
How did the Supreme Court respond to congressional passage of the Flag Protection Act of 1989?
Reaffirmed the Johnson decision’s protection of an individual’s First Amendment right to free expression
How did the Supreme Court rule in United States v. Eichman? • Declared the Flag Protection Act unconstitutional, because it violated the First Amendment
What is the Supreme Court’s most famous right to privacy decision? • Roe v. Wade
How did the Supreme Court rule in Roe v. Wade? • Declared that women have the right to obtain an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy
What was the constitutional basis of the Roe v. Wade decision? • State criminal abortion laws violated the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment
According to Roe v. Wade, what does the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause protect? • Protects the right to privacy against state action • Thereby protects a woman’s right to end her pregnancy
What constitutional principles has the Supreme Court protected by using the power of judicial review to overturn actions by government officials?
Separation of powers • Checks and balances system
President Nixon had secretly tape-recorded all conversations in the Oval Office. • The Senate committee investigating Watergate asked for these tapes. • President Nixon refused to release the tapes.
What principle did President Nixon claim in United States v. Nixon? • Nixon claimed executive privilege gave him the right to keep his records private.
Unanimously ruled that executive privilege did not apply in the Nixon case • President Nixon must release the complete Watergate tapes
What effect did the Supreme Court’s ruling in United States v. Nixon have on Nixon’s presidency? • Nixon resigned as president the next month.
What is federalism? • Power sharing between the federal government and the states
Federal government holds some powers • State governments hold other powers • Some powers are shared by the federal government and the states
What was Ronald Reagan’s political party? • Republican
What have some observers called the two terms of the Reagan presidency? • The “Reagan Revolution”
What was Ronald Reagan’s political philosophy? • Conservative • Opposed the expansion of federal power at the expense of the states
What type of re-evaluation resulted from the conservative political philosophy of President Reagan?
Re-evaluation of the size and role of government in the American economy and American society
What four actions did the “Reagan Revolution” advocate or call for?
Tax cuts • Transfer of responsibilities from the federal government to state governments • Appointment of federal judges and Supreme Court justices who exercised “judicial restraint” • Reduction in the number and scope of government programs and regulations
Reduce the size and power of the federal government • Turn over federal government decisions to either state governments or individual citizens
What was Reagan’s belief regarding national defense? • National defense was a key function of the federal government
How did Reagan’s political philosophy influence his position on military spending? • Reagan wanted to strengthen the American military.
According to the 2008 VUS Curriculum Framework, what four facts support the idea that the “Reagan Revolution” lasted longer than Reagan’s presidency?
Election of Reagan’s vice president George H. W. Bush as president in 1988 • Election to the presidency of a centrist Democrat William (Bill) Clinton in 1992 and 1996 • Republican sweep of congressional elections and statehouses in the 1990s • The election of George W. Bush as president in 2000 and 2004
What are four economic indicators, which the federal government uses to make decisions on economic policy?
Gross Domestic Policy (GDP) • Exchange rates • Inflation • Unemployment rates
Define GDP. • The market value of the goods and services produced by a country