Who Hears the Case? Judicial Branch Activity | U.S. Courts for Civics & History

This Who Hears the Case? Judicial Branch Activity reviews original jurisdiction, appellate jurisdiction, and the levels of the federal court system (District Courts, Appellate Courts, and the Supreme Court) with an article, graphic organizer, and scenario activity. Perfect for middle or high school students studying the Judicial Branch in Civics, American History, or American Government!

In Who Hears the Case? students will read a short article on original jurisdiction, appellate jurisdiction, and the U.S. federal court system, compile their notes in a graphic organizer, and match example scenarios of court cases (many straight from American History!) to the levels of the federal court system. 

Compatible with the following Florida State Standards for Middle School Civics (and applicable to other states as well!):

• SS.7.CG.3.9 Explain the structure, functions and processes of the judicial branch of government. 

This Who Hears the Case? Judicial Branch Activity includes:

✯ A one-page U.S. Federal Court System: Who Hears the Case? Article. This engaging, easy-to-understand reading passage on the Judicial Branch explains the concepts of original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction and details which cases the District Courts, Appellate Courts, and Supreme Court each hear.

✯ A one-page Federal Court System Graphic Organizer. Students compile notes from the article in this graphic organizer of the levels of the federal court system. Definitions for key vocabulary terms are included, as well.

Vocabulary included: original jurisdiction, appellate jurisdiction, writ of certiorari, judicial review

✯ The two-page Who Hears the Case? Scenario Activity. Students read brief descriptions of 8 cases, some fictitious, many real cases from American History, and identify which level of the U.S. court system heard the case. They then have to explain their reasoning, identifying whether the court had original or appellate jurisdiction in each example. There is also a reflection question included!

Sample Scenario: New York v. New Jersey (1998): New York and New Jersey went to court to determine which of them owns the Statue of Liberty, situated on Liberty Island in a bay between the two states. The court determined New Jersey owned the majority of the land and, therefore, the statue. (The Supreme Court heard this case, as they have original jurisdiction for disputes between states.)

All together, this no-prep, print-and-go activity article & activity are a great addition to any Judicial Branch Unit or lesson plan for the U.S. federal court systems! 

This resource comes as a printable, non-editable PDF. Answer Keys are included! A digital version of this resource is available on TPT Easel. TPT Easel resources can be assigned directly to your Google Classroom!

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