As a supplement to the basic text, "Higher Education and the Law," this book briefly describes the American legal system for scholars, students, and administrators in the field of higher education who have had little or no legal training. The following topics are addressed: The United States Courts, the process of judicial review, reading and…

These materials are part of the Project Benchmark series designed to teach secondary students about our legal concepts and systems. This unit focuses on the structure and procedures of the California Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal. The materials outline the historical development of the appellate courts, jurisdiction, and the appeal…

This paper explores the small claims court as an alternative forum for the instruction of argumentation and suggests a possible format of a course utilizing such a concept. The first section of the paper offers a short history of the small claims court. The second section contains a course syllabus outlining the format of an argumentation course…

This manual was designed to familiarize social workers with the dramatically restructured family court practices in order to prepare them for a family court appearance. Chapter I presents a brief history of the family court and describes such aspects of the family court as confidentiality of proceedings, impact of a court record on the individual,…

Designed as supplementary reading in American government or social studies courses, this compilation of articles is intended to help students gain a better understanding of the judiciary's role in the Illinois legal system. The first of three sections contains articles about judges and the court system. The second section examines the criminal…

Present court procedures and the lack of judge-lawyer-juror communication do little to encourage sound verdicts. To improve communication with the jury, a four part trial communication process including pre-service juror orientation training, pre-jury instructions, main jury instructions, and two-way trial communication is suggested. Pre-service…

These classroom materials are part of the Project Benchmark series designed to teach secondary students about our legal concepts and systems. This unit focuses on the procedures and cases of the small claims court. The materials outline the kinds of cases, procedures of the plaintiff and defendent, trial procedures, rights of appeal, writ of…

These materials are part of the Project Benchmark series designed to teach secondary students about our legal concepts and systems. This unit focuses on the structure and procedures of the civil court systems. The materials outline common law heritage, kinds of cases, jurisdiction, civil pretrial procedure, trial procedure, and a sample automobile…

One of several articles dealing with Crime and Punishment, this paper reviews difficulties stemming from centuries of change without true revision. (JB)

Examines the legacy of the liberal Warren Court of the 1950s and relates the pattern of legal decisions by the Warren Court to the relative conservatism and stability of most other sectors of society. (DB)

The literature and research about the courtroom use of videotape recordings and similar technology (such as the picturephone and closed circuit television) reveal conflicting opinions about the efficacy of using such technology in the courts. The major criticism seems to be about recording the testimony of witnesses, editing objectionable…

These classroom materials are part of the Project Benchmark series designed to teach secondary students about our legal concepts and systems. This unit focuses on the California juvenile justice system. The materials describe the historical and legal development of the system, juvenile court procedures, correction facilities, and various creative…

Describes in some detail the modern French judicial system, including the personnel involved; the structure of civil, criminal, and public law; and penal procedure. Modern criticism of this system is discussed. (AM)

This background material on laws and the legal system is designed for teachers of citizenship courses at the secondary level. Fifteen topics in the form of questions and answers are discussed by practicing lawyers. Topics include consumer law, criminal law, drugs and alcohol, employment law, juvenile and family courts, landlord and tenant law, and…

Student activity pages, teacher background information, and lesson ideas for teaching about law in social studies classrooms are presented. Lessons in this unit further develop ideas presented in the eighth grade packet and can be used to supplement a course in government. Section I provides suggestions for using community resource persons.…