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Lesson

George W. Bush and the Supreme Court Case of Bush v. Gore (2000)

Guiding question

Did the United States Supreme Court correctly decide Bush v. Gore (2000)?

Duration
95 min
Grade
9–12
Published
Jun 23, 2021
Bush Cheney Gore Lieberman
The controversy of the election of 2000, unlike the elections of 1800 and 1824, was not at the national level but in a single state. After the United States Supreme Court halted a statewide manual recount ordered by the Florida Supreme Court, Florida’s electoral votes—and the Presidency—went to George W. Bush. In this lesson, students will explore the statutes, arguments, and court decisions that led to the Supreme Court’s ruling. Finally, they will evaluate the Court’s decision.

Objectives:

Students will:

  • Understand the major events during the 2000 presidential election in Florida.
  • Analyze arguments from different sides of the case.
  • Analyze applications of the Fourteenth Amendment.
  • Evaluate the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bush v. Gore (2000).

Materials

  • Handout A: George W. Bush and the Supreme Court Case of Bush v. Gore (2000)
  • Handout B: Interview Questions
  • Handout C: Document-Based Question
  • Handout D: Organizing Documents

Lesson Components

ActivityHandout A: George W. Bush and the Supreme Court Case of Bush v. Gore (2000)
ActivityHandout B: Interview Questions (Bush v. Gore, 2000)
ActivityHandout C: Document Based Question (Bush v. Gore, 2000)
ActivityHandout D: Organizing Documents (Bush v. Gore, 2000)
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Lesson plan

95 minClick a phase to open it

More Information

To create a context for this lesson, students complete Constitutional Connection: Electing The President.

 

Image By Elvert Barnes from Baltimore, Maryland, USA – 56.ElectionProtest.USSC.WDC.11December2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58793702

Standards

Check whether this resource aligns with your state’s standards →

Related materials

Map of the U.S. showing electoral votes for Bush vs. Gore, with emphasis on Supreme Court implications. Bill of Rights Institute.
VideoBush v. Gore | BRI’s Homework Help

Why was the presidential election of 2000 so controversial, and what constitutional questions were raised during the vote count? This Homework Help video explores these questions to help students understand the fundamental issues at hand in the case of Bush v. Gore.

Image illustrating the Bush v. Gore decision excerpts with decorative sunglasses overlay and text highlighting "Primary Source."
VideoReading Bush v. Gore Decision Excerpts | A Primary Source Close Read

What is the role of the Supreme Court in political disputes? In the close presidential election of 2000, the Supreme Court was asked to hand down an election-defining ruling which brought this question to the fore. Why did the Supreme Court take this case? What did it rule? And how did it reach this decision? In this Primary Close Read video, Kirk Higgins and Dr. Josh Dunn explore the story of this important Supreme Court case.

Photo of voting pins
E LessonBush v. Gore and the 2000 Presidential Election