While we often hear complaints of “liberal, activist courts” in the popular medi

While we often hear complaints of “liberal, activist courts” in the popular media, the ideological balance of the Court is much less clear. Explore the ideological balance of the U.S. Supreme Court in your debate journal.
Begin by reading Ch. 14, “The Courts” , then research the official Supreme Court websiteLinks to an external site.. Even more history and background is provided by C-Span featured videos here: C-Span: The Supreme Court: Home to America’s Highest Court(https://www.c-span.org/series/?theSupremeCourt) . (Also view related videos below the Featured Video.)
For your debate journal, list how many and who makes up the current Supreme Court today. Then, answer the following:
Who is the Chief Justice?
Who is considered conservative?
Who is considered liberal?
Who is the swing vote?
Who is the oldest?
Who is the youngest?
Why do you think religion is listed?
How great a role does merit play in the selection of Supreme Court justices?
Do the current justices meet the highest standards of experience and expertise, or have the ideological preferences of presidents led to the choosing of less qualified justices?
Please include any external links to cite your research.