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Supreme Court Roundup 2023-2024

Introduction 

The Supreme Court plays a significant role in our government, hearing cases and establishing precedents on how to interpret the law. Each year, the Supreme Court reviews important constitutional questions (that are usually ruled on initially in a lower court) and selects a handful to make a decision on. The Justices are sometimes unanimous in their decisions, but often, they disagree. Understanding these decisions and how and why they are decided helps hold the court accountable and paves the way for understanding future Supreme Court decisions. 

Take a look at a few of the cases heard this term (which runs from October to around late June) and decide whether or not you agree with the Court’s decision. 

Then, review cases that are pending to decide how you believe the Court will rule. How might the precedents set by these decisions impact the future of the United States? 

Directions 

Select one case from the “finished cases” list and one case from the “pending cases” list. The links below can serve as a good starting point for research. Then answer the following questions. 

Decided Cases 

Muldrow v. City of St. Louis (2024) 

Trump v. Anderson (2024) 

Lindke v. Freed (2024) 

  

Pending Cases 

 City of Grants Pass v. Oregon 

Trump v. United States 

Murthy v. Missouri 

Garland v. Cargill 

United States v. Rahimi 

Decided Cases Questions 

  1. What was the question argued in the case? 
  2. What was the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the case? 
  3. Which Supreme Court justice wrote the majority or unanimous opinion? Which justice wrote the dissenting opinion, if any? Which justice(s) wrote a concurring opinion, if any? 
  4. Do you agree with the court’s decision? Explain your answer. 
  5. Do you believe the Supreme Court has fulfilled its constitutional duty in making this decision? Why or why not? 

Pending Cases Questions 

  1. What is the question argued in the case? 
  2. What are the arguments you expect to see presented? 
  3. How do you expect the Court to rule? Why? 
  4. What precedents might they draw upon? 
  5. How would you rule if you were on the Supreme Court? Why? 

 

Extension:

Our Think the Vote contest is designed to allow students to engage in civil discourse with each other on current event issues. This week’s question is: Should Former Presidents Be Generally Immune to Prosecution for Official Acts Made in Office? Students with the best responses on each side of the debate will each win an Amazon gift card, BRI swag, and have a chance at winning our $1,000 grand prize. Referring teachers also win prizes of their own!

 

Related Content

Curriculum

Supreme Court Document-Based Questions

60 Lessons

How can you help your students develop critical thinking skills? Explore Landmark Supreme Court cases that changed history. Give your students tools to evaluate the Court's rulings and their impact on American society. Analyze primary sources spanning five centuries--colonial codes of law, the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, contemporary photographs, case law, oral arguments, the Court's majority and dissenting opinions, and others. Each Document Based Question (DBQ) will lead them towards an understanding of the role played by the Court and an assessment of its decisions. Each DBQ also contains a section called "The Issue Endures," which highlights current applications of the case issue.