Supreme courts of other nations

While many nations of the world have courts of last resort, or "supreme" courts, there is significant variation in how they are structured and organized. One interesting example is the Supreme Court of Estonia, a former republic of the Soviet Union, which you can find on the internet at http://www.nc.ee/. From the English version of this web site, read through the following five topics about Estonia's supreme court: (1) History, (2) Composition, (3) Chambers, (4) Ad Hoc Panel, and (5) Appeals Selection. How is the Supreme Court of Estonia like the U.S. Supreme Court? How is it like the Congress?




Freedom versus equality: The case of school vouchers

Go to the History and Politics Out Loud web site, http://www.hpol.org/, and locate President Franklin Roosevelt's fireside chat on the reorganization of the judiciary. Listen to the chat from where FDR states "The American people have learned from the depression," up until "But, at the same time, we must have Judges who will bring to the Courts a present-day sense of the Constitution-Judges who will retain in the Courts the judicial functions of a court, and reject the legislative powers which the courts have today assumed." According to Roosevelt, how was the Court affecting his New Deal Program? Based on his speech, explain why you think Roosevelt was in favor of or against an active judiciary.




Oral arguments in Bush v. Gore

Listen to the oral arguments in Bush v. Gore: http://oyez.org/election/00-949.portraits.ram. This will take about 90 minutes. Consider these questions in small groups. A) Early in the argument, the justices peppered each of the three attorneys with questions regarding the court's jurisdiction. Why is this important? B) As you listen to the questions from the justices to the attorneys, consider what seems to interest them most. Is it the court's prior decisions (precedents), the court's supervisory power over the Florida courts, or the issues revolving around the policy that may emanate from their decision? C) How would you describe the role of humor in such tension-filled procedings?




Constitutional courts cross-nationally

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia maintains an interesting cross-national database of how different countries handle the issue of constitutional-judicial review. To find the database, point your browser to http://www.us-rs.com/en/index.html. Follow the link to "comparisons," and study the five tables that are provided. How would you describe the general overall pattern that you see in the first table? According to that table, how many countries do not have a system of constitutional-judicial review? What do your answers to these two questions suggest about the general power of constitutional-judicial review around the world?