WQ: Supreme Interpreters Name: Melani Dimailig

Instructions: Use this w orksheet to collect your answ ers from the W ebQuest. N OTE: There
may be questions on this worksheet that are not online.

Slide 1: Constitutional Rights Slide 2: It Means What It Says

1. Write the phrases that go in the two blanks. 1. What does judicial review allow the Supreme
Court to do?
speech
_________________ of ________________
freedom Judicial review lets the branch make sure the
other branches of government are following the
cruel
__________ unusual
and __________ punishment
________________ Constitution
2. Why do you think the Supreme Court needs to
be able to interpret the Constitution?
2. Do these rights sound familiar?
 Yes  No They need to interpret the Constitution to
clarify to see all cases in intention expressed
3. Do you see any explanation of what these by the words
phrases mean?
 Yes  No

Slide 3: Freedom to Lie? Slide 4: Freedom to Lie: The Court’s Opinion

Your Interpretation: Should Alvarez be 1. What were the four main points of the plurality
charged with a crime for his lie, or should his lie opinion written by Justice Kennedy?
be protected by freedom of speech? Explain your
opinion.

2. Three justices dissented (disagreed). Why did they

think this kind of lie should not be protected?

Slide 5: Protected Speech 2. Is there an activity you think is on the wrong

1. Choose one kind of speech NOT protected by list? (Something you think the Court should
freedom of speech. Explain why you think have decided differently?)  Yes  No Explain
people don’t have the right to do that. why you think people should or should not have
that right.

Supreme Interpreters WQ Companion Worksheet p. 1

WQ: Supreme Interpreters
Slide 6: That’s cruel and unusual!
1. Which execution methods are constitutional?
(Hint: They’re the ones states are still using.)
2. Some states have abolished the death penalty
on their own. Is the death penalty legal in your
state?
 Yes  No
Slide 8: IQ Test: The Court’s Opinion
1. What was the “unacceptable risk” that
Florida’s law caused?
2. The Court’s written opinion said, “Intellectual
disability is a condition, not a number.” What do
you think the Court was trying to say to Florida?
Slide 10: There’s Always a New Twist
Think about everything you’ve learned in this WebQuest. What if the Supreme Court did not have the
power to interpret the Constitution?
Supreme Interpreters WQ Companion Worksheet p. 2
Name:
Slide 7: Very Detailed Interpretations
1. How many points is the “margin of error” built
into the IQ test? (Margin of error is a measure of
uncertainty about how accurate the score is.)
________ points
2. Your Interpretation: I s it cruel and unusual
to execute someone after using such a strict
method to decide they are not intellectually
disabled?
Slide 9: Should the Death Penalty be
Unconstitutional?
1. Do you support or oppose the death penalty?
 Support  Oppose
2. Find one reason on the list that you agree with
and use it to explain your opinion.
3. Percent of Americans that...
Support the death penalty %
Oppose the death penalty %