Courting Controversy?

Does the Westboro Baptist Church have the protection of the Constitution when protesting military funerals? High schoolers examine the 2011 Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps before comparing the situation to a fictional scenario of...

Most Americans expect to wake up the morning after a presidential election knowing who won. That didn't happen during the 2000 election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. The Supreme Court had to weigh in on a messy...

Discuss the differences in dialogue and debate when considering a controversial topic. Your class can work in small groups to complete a guided discussion of this controversial topic and then participate in a simulation of the Scopes...

Students investigate past Supreme Court decisions that have centered on education issues and assess the ways in which those decisions have impacted American education. They consider the controversies surrounding the issue of school...

High schoolers examine the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. In this Reconstruction Era lesson plan, students read and analyze 4 Supreme Court decisions regarding the Fourteenth Amendment and determine how the decisions impacted...

Students examine the major decisions by the Supreme Court when Warren was the Chief Justice. In groups, they research the life and other works of Earl Warren and discuss how ones background can influence decisions. They also examine...

Students examine appellate jurisdiction. In this Supreme Court activity, students  examine specific Supreme Court Cases and hold a mock congress and appeal regarding Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972.

High schoolers investigate Supreme Court cases regarding the treatment of spies. In this traitors and spies lesson plan, students examine the Ex Parte Milligan (1866) and Ex Parte Quirin (1942) cases. High schoolers discover the details...

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...

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.