Understand The Supreme Court Via Listening To Supreme Court Arguments essays

Understand The Supreme Court Via Listening To Supreme Court Arguments essays Second only to watching the proceedings in person or perhaps seeing them on television, listening to the Supreme Court justices argue and debate about a case was an informative and unique experience. Although I was aware of how the court system worked before listening to this proceeding, I was unaware about several of the stylistic processes involved in arguing a case. For example, I was not aware that each side had time requirements and that the proceedings were carried out in a more question-and-answer style. Hearing the justices ask questions of each other, probing the issue and the position of the other client with vigor but not hostility was also an informative and interesting glimpse into how our laws are interpreted. Because I wanted to consider an argument that is very relevant to todays politics, I choose Reno V. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. This case dealt with both illegal aliens and terrorism, too hot issues in todays United States. Essentially, the case revolved around six men who were threatened with deportation. It was the reason for this deportation that was disputed. The government claimed that the men were being deported for a variety of valid reasons, working with out a permit and failing to maintain student status among them. The young mens attorneys, however, argued that they were being deported because they were associated with a certain group that the government interpreted as being a threat. The young men had engaged in several activities that were legal, such as distributing magazines, activities that were protected by first amendment rights. The attorneys for this group were arguing that this process was selective, that they were chosen for deportation because of their political affiliation. Thus, the Supreme Court was arguing whether or not it was legal for the government to selectively deport those whom it sees as a threat if they have committed some type of ...

Facts About the Ambulocetus Prehistoric Whale

Facts About the Ambulocetus Prehistoric Whale Ambulocetus dates from the early Eocene epoch, about 50 million years ago, when the ancestors of modern whales were literally just dipping their toes into the water: this long, slender, otter-like mammal was built for an amphibious lifestyle, with webbed, padded feet and a narrow, crocodile-like snout. Name: Ambulocetus (Greek for walking whale); pronounced AM-byoo-low-SEE-tussHabitat: Shores of the Indian subcontinentHistorical Epoch: Early Eocene (50 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and 500 poundsDiet:Â  Fish and crustaceansDistinguishing Characteristics: Webbed feet; narrow snout; internal rather than external ears Oddly, an analysis of Ambulocetus fossilized teeth shows that this walking whale thrived in both fresh and saltwater lakes, oceans and rivers, a characteristic shared only with a single modern-day crocodile hailing from Australia (and no identified whales or pinnipeds). Given its slim, unprepossessing appearanceno more than 10 feet long and 500 pounds dripping wet how do paleontologists know that Ambulocetus was ancestral to whales? For one thing, the tiny bones in this mammals inner ears were similar to those of modern cetaceans, as was its ability to swallow underwater (an important adaptation given its fish-eating diet) and its whale-like teeth. That, plus the similarity of Ambulocetus to other identified whale ancestors like Pakicetus and Protocetus, pretty much seals the cetacean deal, though creationists and anti-evolutionists will always continue to doubt the missing link status of this walking whale, and its kinship to more recent beasts like the truly enormous Leviathan. One of the odd things about Ambulocetus, and its above-mentioned relatives is that the fossils of these ancestral whales have been discovered in modern-day Pakistan and India, countries otherwise not well known for their abundance of prehistoric megafauna. On the one hand, its possible that whales can trace their ultimate ancestry to the Indian subcontinent; on the other, its also possible that the conditions here were particularly ripe for fossilization and preservation, and early cetaceans had more of a worldwide distribution during the Eocene epoch.