Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: u.s. V. Nixon (1974)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that then-sitting President Nixon had to turn over some recordings of his presidential communications to a court of law. Learners learn about the Watergate break-in, the...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-activity covers the basics of the Supreme Court decision that determined that Dred Scott, having lived in a free territory, was not entitled to his freedom. Students learn about the impact of the Court's decision, and how it...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Texas v. Johnson (1989)

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that burning the American flag is a form of political speech protected by the First Amendment. Students learn about the First Amendment freedom of speech and the...
Article
A&E Television

History.com: This Is How Fdr Tried to Pack the Supreme Court

For Students 9th - 10th
When his New Deal legislation kept getting struck down, FDR proposed a law targeting justices over the age of 70.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that established a school principal's right to censor student articles in the school newspaper. Students learn about the limits on student free speech in a school...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Korematsu v. United States (1944)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that determined the government acted constitutionally when it detained people of Japanese ancestry inside internment camps during World War II. Students learn what...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: In Re Gault (1967)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that said juvenile offenders have a right to due process. Students learn about 14th Amendment due process, fairness, and the specific rights afforded juveniles in the...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the Supreme Court's decision about limiting government restrictions on campaign contributions. Students learn about campaign finance, Super PACs, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), and the...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that prohibited a suspect's statements from being used as evidence unless the suspect has been advised of his or her rights to remain silent. Middle schoolers learn about...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that overturned "separate but equal" in public schools. Students learn about segregation and "equality under the law," and they use what they learned to craft compound...
Activity
Illinois Institute of Technology

Oyez Project: Agostini v. Felton

For Students 9th - 10th
The U.S. Supreme Court case that dealt with violations in the Establishment Clause in public and parochial schools is detailed with an abstract providing a concise summary and a record of the justices that sat on the court at that time....
Handout
Digital History

Digital History: Simple Justice

For Students 9th - 10th
Follow the civil rights quest for integrated schools from the beginning in 1849 through the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education and the struggle that ensued for decades following in the most reluctant...
Interactive
iCivics

I Civics: Games: Argument Wars

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Games in which players act as lawyers arguing head to head before a judge about real Supreme Court cases.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Meet the Judge!

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An biographical text about Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic American Supreme Court Justice. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: How the 2000 Election Came Down to a Supreme Court Decision

For Students 9th - 10th
As Florida's electoral votes became too close to call, controversy ensued over hanging chads, dimpled chads and butterfly bullets. Five hundred thirty-seven votes. That's all that separated Democrat Al Gore and his Republican challenger...
Primary
US National Archives

Nara: Charters of Freedom: The Power of the Courts: Marbury vs. Madison, 1803

For Students 9th - 10th
Website with primary source material on the making of the U.S. government and Constitution explains how Marbury vs. Madison brought the power of Judicial Review to the Supreme Court.
PPT
Tom Richey

Tom richey.net: The Marshall Courts: Revenge of the Federalists [Ppt]

For Students 9th - 10th
Presents key ideas for examining the impact of Supreme Court decisions under Chief Justice John Marshall on the powers of the federal government. Includes an activity at end of presentation.
Article
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: Supreme Court Justices: John Jay

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography of the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and author of some of the Federalist Papers.
Website
PBS

Pbs News Hour: Supreme Court Confirmation Simulation (Lesson Plan)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson that engages learners in a simulation exploring the fundamental roles of the executive branch and the Senate in the judicial selection process. Students will participate in a mock judicial hearing to confirm a Supreme Court...
Activity
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: Article Iii: Federal State Courts Relations

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource shows the relationship between the Federal and State Courts as stated in Article III of the U.S. Constitution. This annotated text details issues like problems raised by concurrency, autonomy of state courts, and rules of...
Activity
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: Jurisdiction of Federal Courts

For Students 9th - 10th
This site describes the jurisdiction of the Federal Court system. The site breaks the court's jurisdiction into three main areas of institutional conflict: Federal Restraint of State Courts by Injunctions, Habeas Corpus: Scope of the...
Website
Other

U.s. Courts: The Federal Judiciary

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the official site for the U.S. Federal Judiciary. Includes information about the courts, a library, news, links, and more.
Activity
Other

Internet Library of Law and Court Decisions

For Students 9th - 10th
The Internet Law Library features extensive summaries of court decisions shaping the law of the Web up to 2008. Issues include: intellectual property issues including copyright and trademark; jurisdiction; linking; framing; meta tags;...
Activity
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: Supreme Court Justices: David Souter

For Students 9th - 10th
Good biographical site about Justice David H. Souter, summarizing his achievements and including links to other related articles.