This booklet contains the official materials that student teams used to prepare for the 16th Annual California State Mock Trial Competition, held in April 1997. The mock trial process is designed to clarify for students the workings of legal institutions. As student teams study a hypothetical case, conduct legal research, and receive guidance from…

Each year the Constitutional Rights Foundation creates a mock trial that addresses serious matters facing young people. This year the lesson confronts the recent shootings at U.S. schools and the subsequent criminal trials. The nature of such violence and its causes including unresolved peer conflict, questions of responsibility, peer pressure,…

This teacher's guide is part of a media package that also includes 5 video dramas, a 2 CD-ROM set, and a set of 30 student resource portfolios. The teacher's guide contains a semester of learning activities; the five video dramas use real-life situations to illustrate and teach civic events; the student resource portfolios have more than 40…

This unit examines the responsibilities of being a U.S. citizen. It surveys the need for the participation of all citizens in the governing of the United States. Lessons explain that while the United States Constitution does not require the people of the United States to be good citizens, citizens need to work hard in order to stay free. The unit…

Outlines instructions for conducting a student-organized open discussion of a proposed 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Provides student instructions and eight character role descriptions. Includes a ballot on the issue designed to be sent to the American Bar Association. (CFR)

Designed to provide students and adults with a learning experience related to the jury system, this game focuses on the jury selection process. In doing so, the game examines an important element of a fair trial--the right of the accused to be judged by an impartial jury. The game is designed for four class periods and can be used with a class of…

Designed for use at the high school level, this textbook is organized around four key ideas central to the U.S. Constitution: authority, privacy, responsibility, and justice. A knowledge of these ideas is necessary to understand the foundations of U.S. government and to evaluate important differences between a constitutional democracy and a…

This document is composed of readings and activities concerning the government of the United States. The main topics addressed are: the Constitution, the Presidency, the Congress, the Judiciary, the bureaucracy, interest groups, the media, and the people. Each section begins with an introductory reading, followed by essays from prominent citizens…

Dedicated to celebrating the importance of law in U.S. life, the 19 stories collected in this volume are about legislators who enact the law, judges who interpret it, and lawyers who practice it. The stories describe the contributions to the United States through the law of distinguished individuals, emphasizing the devotion of many lawyers to…