Alabama Social Studies SS24.AS.20a
The Standard
- SS24.AS.20
- Compare and contrast the roles of statewide elected officials, including the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Describe the state court system in Alabama, and explain how the election of judges in Alabama differs from the appointment of judges at the federal level.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies · Government
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify Alabama's district and circuit trial courts, two appeals courts, and Supreme Court. They recognize that probate and municipal courts handle narrower matters. They compare elected state judges with federal judges nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a theft appeal and a custody appeal, students can name the Alabama appeals court that hears each. They can explain that most Alabama judges face voters, while federal district and appeals judges are appointed and serve for life.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may send every appeal to the same court or put the Supreme Court below the appeals courts. Some assume every Alabama judge is elected, though municipal judges are appointed, or think federal judges campaign for votes.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: List two Alabama trial courts, both appeals courts, and the highest court. Then state how most Alabama judges and federal district judges get their jobs.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs court-name cards for district, circuit, both appeals courts, and Supreme Court; have them arrange the courts by level.
Ask students to write two sentences comparing a state judge's election campaign with a federal judge's nomination and confirmation.
Read a theft appeal and a custody appeal aloud; students hold up the card naming the appeals court for each.
Show an Alabama judicial race on a sample ballot beside a federal judge's biography; students mark how each got the job.
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Printable SS24.AS.20a Worksheet
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Related Standards
- SS24.AS.19
Describe the relationship between Alabama’s state government and local governments, considering the concept of home rule and Dillon’s Rule.
- SS24.USG.6b
Outline and explain the process of appointing Supreme Court Justices and other federal judges.
- SS24.4.15a
Explain political changes in Alabama during Reconstruction, including new state constitutions, Black Codes, changes in political parties, voting rights, and cit...
- SS24.AS.20b
Differentiate among the types of state bureaucratic bodies in Alabama, including commissions, boards, and agencies.
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