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Interactive
2
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Judicial Learning Center

State Courts vs. Federal Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
Popular culture often portrays the Feds as the most fearsome of law enforcement agencies. Yet, someone charged with a crime is considerably more likely to end up in a state court. The lesson, one of six covering the Organization of the...
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Lesson Plan
Street Law

The Challenge of Selecting an Ideal Supreme Court Nominee

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
Nearly every president has had the opportunity to name a nominee to the United States Supreme Court. But what makes someone an ideal candidate to become a Supreme Court justice? High schoolers test their prior knowledge about the Supreme...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Advocates for Human Rights

Mock Immigration Court

For Students 8th - Higher Ed Standards
As part of a unit study of immigration, class members participate in a mock Immigration Court activity in which they argue four cases before an immigration judge.
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Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

Levels of the Federal Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
The Supreme Court gets all the glory, but very few federal cases make it to the highest court. An interesting lesson explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal court system. In addition to outlining the organization of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 4: The Judiciary: A Brief Introduction to the Courts System

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Focusing on the judicial branch of government, the fourth lesson in this series explores the structure of the US courts system. Beginning with an engaging activity based on the short story The Lady or the Tiger, students go on to examine...
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Interactive
iCivics

Court Quest

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Introduce your learners to the federal and state court systems with a fun, interactive online video game! After reading sample cases, class members identify to which court the case should be assigned and gain a greater understanding...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science in the Court Room

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Share their opinions on the use of DNA databases in criminal investigations. After reading an article, they evaluate the pros and cons of the databases and work in groups to answer discussion questions. They write a letter to a state...
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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Plyler v. Doe: Can States Deny Public Benefits to Illegal Immigrants?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...
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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Courts and Judges

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If the Supreme Court is so supreme, why do all cases not just start there? High schoolers learn why every case does not start at the Supreme Court as well as the importance of hierarchy in the US judicial system in the 11th installment...
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Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

The U.S. Supreme Court

For Students 6th - 12th
How do Supreme Court justices determine which cases to consider? What happens when the Supreme Court decides not to take a case?  The lesson explores important questions and others in the field of criminology. It focuses on the appeals...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Supreme Court: The Judicial Power of the United States

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate some basic facts about the Supreme Court by examining the United States Constitution and one of the landmark cases decided by that court. The operation of the Supreme Court forms the focus of the activity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American History Through the Len of the Supreme Court Decisions

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Young scholars examine the historical background of Supreme Court decisions and the basic principles behind legislation. As part of the lesson, students discover legal concepts and terms and write sentences using the vocabulary they have...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landmark Supreme Court Cases And The Constitution

For Teachers 11th
Have an engaging class discussion on the Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution, and the Supreme Court. Learners examine multiple aspects of the Marbury v. Madison case and the impact that case had on the judicial system in the U.S. Web...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

The Supreme Court: The Importance of Precedent in the Decisions of the Supreme Court

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
People often hear the words precedent and Supreme Court together, but why? A resource on the Supreme Court includes a variety of discussion questions, handouts that guide young historians, a video about Nixon and the court system, and...
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Graphic
USA.gov

How The Supreme Court Works

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Just how does a case come before the highest court in the land? A graphic flow chart unpacks how plaintiffs come before the Supreme Court. Graphics include background on the nine justices and just how many cases they actually hear each...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Court Packing vs. Reorganizing: The Supreme Court in the New Deal

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Travel back in time to understand the effects of FDR's New Deal on the Supreme Court. Academics analyze historical documents to understand FDR's attempts to pack the Supreme Court and the opposition he faced. The activity includes a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Supreme Court Justice Sworn In

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Young scholars react to a series of statements about the Supreme Court, then read a news article about the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion...
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Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

How the First State Constitutions Helped Build the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Did you know that the United States Constitution was adopted after many state constitutions were already in place? Young scholars examine facts about the influence of states through an informative and interesting resource. Groups then...
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Lesson Plan
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Constitutional Rights Foundation

Arizona v. United States — States and Immigration Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of immigration law, class members read a summary of the Supreme Court case, Arizona v. United States. They then examine a series of examples and acting as federal court judges, must determine if the scenarios meet the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Supreme Court: The Judicial Power of the United States

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students learn basic facts about the Supreme Court by examining the United States Constitution and one of the landmark cases decided by that court.
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

The “Supreme” in Supreme Court

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Does a public school have the right to restrict what t-shirts learners wear? Discover what happened when this question was brought to the Supreme Court, and review other major cases in United States history involving judicial review....
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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

The Constitution, Federalism, and the States

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The divide between federal and state government is responsible for much of tension that continues to this day, partly because of the US Constitution. The activities in the 14th lesson plan in a series of 20 are designed to help learners...
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Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

Types of Court Cases

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
How can one court acquit someone of a crime, while another convicts the person of the same one? It's all because of the differences between civil and criminal trials. An informative resource provides scholars in the field of criminology...
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Lesson Plan
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C-SPAN

Supreme Court Justices Research and Resumes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
According to Article III, Section1 of the United States constitution, the only qualification one needs to be appointed to the Supreme Court is to demonstrate "good behavior." The president and Congress are given the power to determine...

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