Teaching Resources to Understand the Kavanaugh Hearings
by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor
In a previous blog post, I shared resources to understand the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process and earlier this week, Shawn shared why the Kavanaugh hearing is a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, explaining that, “The midterm elections are an important backdrop to the Kavanaugh confirmation process, as Democrats have an outside chance of taking control of the Senate, and with it vetting future presidential nominees. Should Kavanaugh not be confirmed and the Senate falls to Democrats, the clock is running out on Republicans to appoint a like-minded conservative.”
Beyond understanding the importance of the 2018 midterm elections and the system of checks and balances that scaffold the appointment process of federal judges, the Kavanaugh hearings have provided classrooms an opportunity to engage in current and controversial issue discussions related to power, justice and equity.
Navigating these quickly changing events can be challenging for teachers. Below are some resources to help.
- Facing History and Ourselves has curated resources to help students inquire into the hearings with ideas for students to take informed action.
- PBS has created a “Teaching Moment: Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh.”
- Also from PBS, “#MeToo and the Supreme Court Nomination Process.”
- In the most recent edition of The Sift, the News Literacy Project runs down some of the most prevalent rumors related to Judge Kavanaugh, Dr. Ford and the hearings.
- Learn what polling shows about public reaction to the hearings in this installment from FiveThirtyEight.
- The National Constitution Center has a couple of podcast episodes that may prove helpful understand the importance of the hearings from the perspective of the past and future. One is on the History of Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and the other is a Supreme Court Term Preview for the upcoming session.
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