Key term
AQA A-Level Politics 7152
The Nature and Sources of the British Constitution
The Structure and Role of Parliament
The Prime Minister and Cabinet
The UK Judiciary
Devolution
Democracy and Participation
Topic overviewDemocracy, Legitimacy and Direct DemocracyDirect and Representative Democracy ComparedThe Reform Acts of 1832 to 1884 and the ChartistsSuffragists and SuffragettesWho Can Vote Today, and Votes at 16Forms of Political ParticipationTurnout, Apathy and Proposals for ReformPartisan and Class Dealignment
Elections and Referendums
Topic overviewMajoritarian and Proportional SystemsThe Additional Member System, STV and Other SystemsThe 1945 and 1979 General ElectionsThe 1997 and 2010 General ElectionsModels of Voting BehaviourLeadership, Manifestos, Campaigns and the MediaThe Nature and Use of ReferendumsRegulating Referendums, and the Case For and Against
Political Parties in the UK
Pressure Groups in the UK
The UK and the European Union
The Constitutional Framework of US Government
Congress
The US Presidency
The US Supreme Court
US Elections and Direct Democracy
Topic overviewCongressional Elections and Electoral College VotesThe Electoral CollegeThe Invisible Primary, Primaries and CaucusesSuper Tuesday, Momentum and DelegatesWhat Decides a US ElectionCampaign Finance RegulationParty Coalitions and Voting BehaviourRealignment, Dealignment, Split-Ticket Voting and TurnoutDirect Democracy at State Level
Political Parties in the USA
Pressure Groups in the USA
Civil Rights in the USA
Comparative Politics: Theoretical Approaches
Constitutions and Legislatures Compared
The Executives Compared
The Judiciaries Compared
Electoral and Party Systems Compared
Pressure Groups Compared
Civil Rights Compared
Liberalism
Conservatism
Socialism
NationalismIdeology
FeminismIdeology
MulticulturalismIdeology
AnarchismIdeology
The US Supreme Court
- 6 subtopics
- 20 things to know
- Paper 2
What The US Supreme Court covers
Nine justices appointed for life, how a case reaches them, the power of judicial review claimed in 1803, and the landmark rulings and Court eras that show what that power does.
The 6 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The Composition and Tenure of the CourtRecall questions on the Article establishing the federal judiciary, how many justices sit and who fixes that, and the terms on which they hold office.Open →
- How a Case Reaches the Supreme CourtRecall questions on original against appellate jurisdiction, the route a case takes, the rule of four and how few petitions succeed.Open →
- Judicial Review and Guardian of the ConstitutionRecall questions on judicial review and Marbury v Madison, the Court as guardian of the Constitution and of rights, judicial activism and restraint, strict and loose constructionism, originalism and overturning precedent.Open →
- The Debate over the Court's PowerRecall questions on the criticisms of its political power, the arguments that it is exaggerated, and how a ruling can be reversed.Open →
- The Warren Court and Landmark RulingsRecall questions on what makes a ruling a landmark, why such lists are illustrative, the Warren years and the decision in Brown.Open →
- Later Landmark Rulings and Court ErasRecall questions on the Burger, Rehnquist and Roberts Courts and their landmark rulings, including Roe and its reversal, United States v Nixon, Texas v Johnson, Bush v Gore, Heller, Obergefell, Citizens United and Shelby County.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Outline the stages of appointing a Supreme Court justice.
Numbers
Give two nominations that failed at the Senate stage.
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Distinguish the Court's original from its appellate jurisdiction.
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How does a case reach the Supreme Court?
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Distinguish a majority opinion, a concurring opinion and a dissenting opinion.
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Which 1803 ruling established the power of judicial review over federal law?
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Define judicial activism.
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Distinguish constructionism from activism and restraint.
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Give three criticisms of the Court's political power.
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Name three other checks on the Supreme Court.
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The Court declares a federal statute unconstitutional. What is the immediate effect?
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Why should any list of landmark rulings be treated as illustrative rather than complete?
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Why is Brown regarded as politically as well as legally significant?
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What did Gideon v Wainwright establish in 1963?
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What did United States v Nixon decide in 1974, and what followed?
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What was decided in Bush v Gore in 2000, and why is it contentious?
Key term
What did Obergefell v Hodges decide in 2015?
Process
How may a Supreme Court justice be removed, and what protects judicial tenure?
Process
How did judicial review come to cover state law, and what does judicial activism describe?
Take The US Supreme Court further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Original jurisdiction vs Appellate jurisdiction
Original jurisdiction: court hears a dispute first. Appellate jurisdiction: court reviews a lower decision.
Judicial activism vs Judicial restraint
Judicial activism: willingness to develop constitutional meaning broadly. Judicial restraint: deference to precedent and elected branches.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Which Article establishes the federal judiciary?
Model answer
Article III.
- 2
How many justices sit on the Supreme Court, and who fixes that number?
Model answer
Nine, a figure set by Congress in statute rather than by the Constitution.
- 3
On what terms do Supreme Court justices hold office?
Model answer
They serve during good behaviour, which in practice means life tenure with no mandatory retirement age.
- 4
How can a justice be removed from the Court?
Model answer
Only by impeachment in the House and conviction by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
- 5
Give two constitutional protections of judicial independence.
Model answer
Security of tenure for life, and a guarantee that a judge's salary cannot be reduced while in office.
- 6
Outline the stages of appointing a Supreme Court justice.
Model answer
A vacancy arises, the president nominates a candidate, the Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings and reports a recommendation, and the full Senate votes to confirm by simple majority.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
The US Supreme Court revision questions
- What does The US Supreme Court cover in AQA A-Level Politics?
- 6 subtopics: the composition and tenure of the court, how a case reaches the supreme court, judicial review and guardian of the constitution, the debate over the court's power, the warren court and landmark rulings and later landmark rulings and court eras. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is The US Supreme Court organised?
- By the AQA 7152 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in The US Supreme Court, on a schedule.
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