The Supreme Court - Reading Comprehension
for edHelper.com subscribers - Sign up now by clicking here!

The Supreme Court Reading Comprehension
     The Supreme Court reading comprehension (sample is shown below)

Build 50+ Printables from the Word List
     Customize Printables - edit and save words and definitions

Quiz (includes vocabulary, quiz questions, and essay questions)
     Custom quiz (PDF Format)


The Supreme Court
By Phyllis Naegeli
  

1     The Supreme Court is the highest court in our nation. Nine judges - called justices - serve on the Supreme Court. They are appointed by the president, approved by the Senate, and may serve on the court for the rest of their lives. Cases brought before this court for review come from the lower federal courts. They may also come from the highest state courts - if the case involves a constitutional question. The court does not hear every case presented to it. It can refuse to hear a case without explanation. In essence, refusing to hear a case is an unspoken agreement with the decision of the lower court as it leaves the decision final.
 
2     The Supreme Court has original and appellate jurisdiction. Most cases involving federal or constitutional law begin in the district courts. Once these cases have gone through the lower courts, they can be appealed to the Supreme Court. These cases involve the appellate jurisdiction of the court. On rare occasions, the Supreme Court can exercise original jurisdiction to hear cases affecting ambassadors or foreign officials. The Supreme Court always has original jurisdiction to hear cases between two states.
 
3     When the Supreme Court decides to hear a case, the petitioner and the respondent each prepare a written brief. The justices may also request a "friend of the court" brief. This happens when a particular group is not directly involved in a case but may be affected by the outcome. Once the court has all briefs, the justices hear oral arguments from each side. Attorneys representing the parties in the case have a strict limit of thirty minutes to present their case. During this time, the justices may interrupt to ask questions in order to clarify the information given. No additional time is granted for these interruptions. Time limits are so strictly adhered to that attorneys may be cut off mid-sentence when the clock expires.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



Weekly Reading Books

          Create Weekly Reading Books

Prepare for an entire week at once!


The 1890's
             The 1890's


More Lessons
             American Government Worksheets | edHelper.com
             United States Constitution
             High School Reading Comprehensions and High School Reading Lessons


Social Studies
             Social Studies


    United States History and Theme Units  
 
    American Government  
 
    Ancient America  
 
    Ancient China  
 
    Ancient Egypt  
 
    Ancient Greece  
 
    Ancient India  
 
    Ancient Mesopotamia  
 
    Ancient Rome  
 
    Biographies  
 
    Canadian Theme Unit  
 
    Country Theme Units  
 
    Crime and Terrorism  
 
    Economics  
 
    European History: 1600s-1800s  
 
 
    Explorers  
 
    Famous Educators  
 
    Geography  
 
    Grades 2-3 Social Studies Wendy's World Series  
 
    History of Books and Writing  
 
    History of Mathematics  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
    Inventors and Inventions  
 
    Middle Ages  
 
    Renaissance  
 
    World Religion  
 
    World War I  
 
    World War II  
 
    World Wonders  
 


United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 


United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830)
 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870)
 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991)
 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806)
 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945)
 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918)
 
 
    World War II  
 


50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit


Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



Copyright © 2018 edHelper