Critical Analysis

1. Describe the ideological difference between new Supreme Court Justices who are first nominated by Democrats, and those nominated by Republicans.

2. As Supreme Court Justices age what happens to their ideology?

3. What are two reasons that explain this change?

4. What is one consequence of this change?

5. What is one way to tell if this or any information is credible, reliable and trustworthy?*

6. Wait a second. Just what does liberal mean anyway?

7. Whether it is true or not, it is a commonly held belief that people become more conservative as they age. Based on your own experience, is this claim true?

8. As of 12/07/2021, the average justice was 53 years old, and 6 out of the nine justices were judicial conservatives. Is the fact that SCOTUS Justices become more liberal over time a good argument for Supreme Court term limits?

9. Does the fact that Supreme Court Justices are not elected to office mean that the Supreme Court is an undemocratic institution?

10. Does this data explain why Republicans keep nominating younger SCOTUS Justices?*

11. What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Learning Extension

Read this 538.com article about why Supreme Court Justices get more liberal over time.

Action Extension

I visited the Supreme Court once to hear oral arguments. It was one of the highlights of my GoPo life. It’s possible for you to visit the Supreme Court but it would be a whole heck of a lot easier to visit your nearby federal district court. Visit your closest U.S. federal court. Share your experience in class or online.

Visual Extension

Waffles Extension

This is my dog Waffles. He is blind. He loves you. He has become more liberal over time.