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9.2: SCOTUS Ruling Process - Classroom Activity

  • Page ID
    231680
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    Debate: SCOTUS Decisions and DEI

    Scene_at_the_Signing_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_States.jpg

    In this organized debate we further investigate our understanding and feelings about major Supreme Court decisions and their DEI impact.

    You are divided into 6 groups, two per debate topic (one pro, one con), and you either have to research the pro OR con side of ONE of the following questions:

    1. Has the Supreme Court’s ban on race-conscious admissions (Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard) effectively closed a critical pathway to upward mobility for Black students?

    2. If SCOTUS upholds state bans on gender-affirming care for minors (United States v. Skrmetti), does it violate transgender youth’s 14th Amendment rights or protect them from "experimental" medical treatments?

    3. Did rulings like Brnovich v. DNC (2021), which weakened the Voting Rights Act’s protections against racial discrimination, disproportionately suppress Latino voter turnout through laws like strict ID requirements and polling-place closures?

    - Research FIVE salient arguments to support your side.

    - Debate it with the group that researched the opposing arguments.

    - Discuss the issue with the whole class, then we move on to the next topic.

    Evaluation Rubric

    Uses appropriate language (incl. POL vocabulary)

    1-3 4- 6 7-10

    Presents 5 major arguments

    1-3 4- 6 7-10

    Cites statistics, studies, or theories for every argument

    1-3 4- 6 7-10

    Time limits (as specified) are adhered to

    1-3 4- 6 7-10

    Monitored and engaged in small and large group discussions

    1-3 4- 6 7-10

    [1-3 needs improvement, 4-6 satisfactory-good; 7-10 very good-excellent; Maximum points possible = 50]



    9.2: SCOTUS Ruling Process - Classroom Activity is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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