Tag: the Supreme Court

R&D from Prepd: The Nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court

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On March 4, 2022

In R&D, U.S. Extemp

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D from Prepd covers President Biden’s nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.  Justice Brown, a graduate of Harvard Law School, is currently on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  If confirmed, she would be the first African-American woman to serve on the Court.  The Senate is expected to confirm Brown, who’s nomination cannot be filibustered as per Senate rules.

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R&D from Prepd: Justice Stephen Breyer’s Retirement & Replacement

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On February 4, 2022

In R&D, U.S. Extemp

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D provides resources on Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement and replacement.  Breyer, a moderate liberal who has been on the Supreme Court since 1994, recently announced his retirement from the bench, allowing President Joe Biden the opportunity to make the first Supreme Court pick of his administration.  Biden announced that he will fill the vacancy with a Black woman, fulfilling a campaign pledge.  Rumored candidates include U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra R. Kruger, and U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs.

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R&D from Prepd: The Growing Supreme Court Fight

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On February 25, 2016

In R&D

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources on the growing fight over whether President Barack Obama will be able to get a Supreme Court justice confirmed by the Senate before the end of his presidential term.  Senate Republicans have said that they will not even grant hearings for a nominee, a position that President Obama claims is politically untenable.  Rumors suggest that President Obama may nominate centrist Nevada Republican Governor Brian Sandoval, but such a pick may alienate the Democratic base.  If a new nominee is not confirmed to replace Antonin Scalia it would mean that the 2016 presidential election would be a referendum on the future of the Supreme Court.

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The Death of Antonin Scalia

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On February 17, 2016

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

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The passing of Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia last Saturday in Shafter, Texas has thrown the nation’s political scene into turmoil.  Shortly after Scalia’s death was announced, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he had no intention of allowing President Barack Obama to appoint a replacement and that voters in the next presidential election should have a voice in the process.  Democrats and liberals decried the statement, arguing that President Obama has a constitutional right to appoint a new justice and that the Senate must give the nominee a fair and proper hearing.  Since Scalia was the leading conservative on a divided court, a liberal or progressive replacement would move the Court to the left for the first time in more than thirty years.  The calculations surrounding a new nomination battle could significantly affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, but it could also affect cases that are currently before the Court on hot button social issues such as abortion, the Affordable Care Act, affirmative action, and voting rights.  As a result, Scalia’s death comes at an inopportune time for a dangerously divided country, and the looming confirmation of a new justice could be the most divisive showdown of a judicial nominee since Clarence Thomas was barely confirmed in 1991.

This topic brief will highlight Scalia’s historical significance to the Court, the impact of his death on the Court’s current term, and discuss the politics that will affect who his replacement will be.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

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R&D: The Death of Antonin Scalia

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On February 17, 2016

In R&D

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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on the death of Antonin Scalia.

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R&D from Prepd: The Supreme Court

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On January 22, 2015

In R&D

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l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources on pending cases and recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court.  The Court will hear oral arguments in the spring about the legalization of gay marriage in all fifty states and is set to rule whether the federal government can provide subsidies to those who purchase health insurance on the federal-run insurance exchange. It is also set to rule on whether federal housing subsidies promote racial segregation.

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Topic Brief: David Souter Retirement

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On May 5, 2009

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

Last Friday, Supreme Court justice David Souter announced his retirement, pending the confirmation of a successor.  Souter has been a liberal vote on the court, progressively moving in that direction since arriving to the Court in 1990.  He was a former New Hampshire Attorney General, New Hampshire Supreme Court justice, and First Circuit Court of Appeals justice before serving on the highest court in the United States.

As most extempers are aware, mostly from their U.S. history classes in high school, the Supreme Court is one of the more powerful branches of government.  It derives its power from judicial review, the power to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.  This was a power that was not expressly given to the Court in the Constitution, but was created in the 1803 Supreme Court decision of Marbury v. Madison.

With Souter’s retirement, President Barack Obama will have his first opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice, enjoying this power earlier in his presidency than his predecessor George W. Bush, who had to wait until his second term to receive his first Supreme Court appointment (and he selected John Roberts).

This brief will explain Souter’s arrival to the Court and his legacy, discuss possible successor options, and the political minefield that this decision creates for President Obama.

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