Failed Supreme Court Nominations
Participating by telephone, Ms. Witt talked about Supreme Court nominations that were not confirmed by the Senate. She said that 27 people have been nominated and failed to win confirmation. Ms. Witt also said that not all of the justices who have served on the U.S. Supreme Court had been judges previously. She went on to say that some justices did not attend law school at all.
Description
This bell ringer explores failed historical Supreme Court nominations through the Nixon administration and focuses on the reasons why nominations have failed and the qualifications of nominees.
Bell Ringer Assignment
- When was the Supreme Court established?
- How many times have nominees been rejected? Of these, how many were formal rejections and how many were withdrawn?
- Which nominee was rejected twice? Why were all but one of President John Tyler's nominations rejected?
- According to Elder Witt, why was President Richard Nixon's nomination of Clement Haynsworth rejected?
- Based on the clip, there are no specified qualifications to serve as a Supreme Court justice. Which government body ultimately decides whether a nominee's qualifications are acceptable?
Additional Resources
- Video Clip: Sen. Lee (R-UT) on Court Packing
- Video Clip: Sen. Durbin (D-IL) Discussing Replacing a Supreme Court Justice during an Election
- Bell Ringer: Number of Sitting Justices on the Supreme Court
- Bell Ringer: Senate Role in Judicial Nominations
- Bell Ringer: The History of Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
- Lesson Plan: Supreme Court Justices Research and Resumes
Participants
Vocabulary
- Confirmation
- Congress
- Nomination
- President
- Senate
- Supreme Court