WHAT DOES THE JUDICIAL BRANCH DO? The judicial branch is
responsible for many things. It makes sure the laws are
constitutional, or follow the constitution, and applies this
knowledge of the constitution to each case, or accusation, it
hears. The judicial branch can also declare legislative or
executive acts unconstitutional. These are called Checks and
Balances.
Slide 4
WHY IS THE JUDICIAL BRANCH IMPORTANT? The judicial branch is
important because it helps our country maintain order. When someone
is accused of a crime, they have a right to a trial by jury. This
trial is done by the jury, which is a group of U.S. citizens who
hear the case and decide whether or not the person is guilty. This
jury is part of the judicial branch. If the person is found guilty,
the judge will give them a sentence, or a punishment. Click the
play button to watch a short clip explaining what the judicial
branch does.
Slide 5
WHAT WOULD LIFE BE LIKE WITHOUT THE JUDICIAL BRANCH ? Without
the judicial branch, our lives would be very different. People
could accuse anyone of a crime and that person wouldnt be able to
have a trial, which is when a jury hears your case and decides
whether or not the convict, or accused person, is guilty. If there
was no judicial branch, people would either get sent to prison
unjustly, or unfairly, or people could commit crimes and go
unpunished.
Slide 6
WHAT ROLE DOES THE JUDICIAL BRANCH PLAY IN A CURRENT EVENT ?
Currently, the chinese government has banned many social networking
sites because they do not want riots in the street over
independence. They believe they can put a stop to this by blocking
the social networking sites in which they plan their protests. This
could not happen in the United States because of the judicial
branch. One of the duties of the judicial branch is to make sure
that all laws follow the constitution. If this law was passed in
the United States it would be taking away the peoples right to
freedom of speech, freedom of press, and their pursuit of
happiness. These are all listed in the U.S. Constitution and the
Declaration of Independence.
Slide 7
WHY SHOULD WE BE GRATEFUL FOR THE JUDICIAL BRANCH? Therefore,
the judicial branch is important because it keeps everything fair
and more or less checks on the other branches to make sure they do
not gain too much power. Many countries do not have a judicial
branch because their government is not balanced and concentrates
all its power to one person or one group of people. Americans
should be grateful for the judicial branch because without it, our
country would be very different.