Constitutional Scenarios
SCENARIO #1
Salley was “dress coded” for wearing a “Taylor Swift for President” t-shirt. Her social studies teacher told her that the shirt didn’t make sense because Taylor Swift could never become president and the shirt was offensive. While sitting in lunch detention Salley started to think about her individual freedoms. Salley was convinced that receiving lunch detention for her t-shirt was unfair and violated her basic rights. She planned on taking action. Salley thought about writing letters to the school board, planning meetings with classmates, or contacting the newspaper.
SCENARIO #2
Congress passed a bill that got rid of the Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare). Congress said that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional because the federal government was forcing states to provide health insurance to people, and did not have the power to do this. President Obama is very upset by this. The Affordable Care Act was one of the main things that he tried to do during his presidency. In the end, the Supreme Court will determine whether or not the Affordable Care Act is allowed under the Constitution.
Salley was “dress coded” for wearing a “Taylor Swift for President” t-shirt. Her social studies teacher told her that the shirt didn’t make sense because Taylor Swift could never become president and the shirt was offensive. While sitting in lunch detention Salley started to think about her individual freedoms. Salley was convinced that receiving lunch detention for her t-shirt was unfair and violated her basic rights. She planned on taking action. Salley thought about writing letters to the school board, planning meetings with classmates, or contacting the newspaper.
- What document should Salley be studying if she is concerned about her individual rights and freedoms?
- Which amendment should Salley focus her attention on based on what has happened and what she may do?
- Which branch could ultimately determine whether or not the dress code is constitutional or not by reviewing and interpreting the dress code?
SCENARIO #2
Congress passed a bill that got rid of the Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare). Congress said that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional because the federal government was forcing states to provide health insurance to people, and did not have the power to do this. President Obama is very upset by this. The Affordable Care Act was one of the main things that he tried to do during his presidency. In the end, the Supreme Court will determine whether or not the Affordable Care Act is allowed under the Constitution.
- What can President Obama do if he disagrees with this bill?
- What idea is playing out between Congress and the President in this scenario?
- Which amendment is Congress referring to in its complaint? Explain