H6

a. Define Judicial Review: 
-Judicial review is the power of the courts to determine whether or not an act of Congress is in accordance with the Constitutional.
b. Explain how Judicial Review empowers the Supreme Court within the system of Checks and Balances: 
-The Court has the power to interpret the Constitution and decide whether or not a law is constitutional.
c. Describe the process through which the Court grants a writ of certiorari: 
-A writ of certiorari is a document that calls up a case.The petition is filed by the Supreme Court. Included is an argument explaining why the case should be heard, and then there must be a vote. The vote follows the rule of four, meaning at least four justices must vote in favor of hearing the case.
d. Explain how each of the following influences decisions made by individual justices when deciding cases heard by the court: 
-Stare decisis: This means "let the decision stand", meaning that the decision is final. This is a way for the court to say that they want to uphold the decision previously made concerning the case.
-Judicial activism: This refers to a decision that has been made that more than likely was influenced by personal opinion rather than the Constitution. Members of the Supreme Court take cases that relate to them in a way, or if the topic is important to them.