This booklet introduces ideas and materials for Law Day activities. Celebrated on May 1, Law Day is an annual opportunity to expand awareness of U.S. laws and the justice system and their valuable impact on our lives. The primary purpose of Law Day is to provide the opportunity for the public to reflect on U.S. legal heritage, the role of law in…

This resource guide is intended to help teachers lead their students through an exploration of the issues and story of "After Chicago v. Morales." The guide explains that in 1992 the city of Chicago (Illinois) passed an ordinance authorizing the police to arrest people in a group if they failed to move along or were thought to belong to…

Reviews recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. The decisions involve student rights, the Gramm-Rudman budget law, homosexuals' right to privacy, the regulation of state primary elections, pregnancy and employment policy, Miranda Rights, and the legality of certain police searches. (JDH)

This paper provides examples of polygraph misuses; details the increasing use of the polygraph inside and outside of law enforcement; explains what a polygraph is, what a typical polygraph test might consist of and its weaknesses in the detection of truth; and analyzes the available research with specific reference to the validity and reliability…

Offers a learning activity in which secondary students are given background on Supreme Court jurisdiction. Students are then presented with various situations in which they must decide "if the court would hear the case" or not. (BSR)

Offers a midterm report on United States Supreme Court Cases. The cases dealt with voting rights, affirmative action, jury bias, the handicapped status of AIDS victims, religious holidays for teachers, and political spending of nonprofit corporations. (JDH)

Examines the work of the framers of the U.S. Constitution in their efforts to improve upon the Articles of Confederation and yet limit the power of unbridled government. (JDH)

Describes a lesson which relates the U.S. Constitution and state and federal actions to the everyday lives of high school students. Students use a time line of a person's life events in order to identify the points at which the state or federal government intervenes. The authority for this intervention is then sought in the U.S. Constitution. (JDH)

This constitutional casebook is the outcome of the P.A.T.C.H. Law Program of the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District in New York. The casebook provides students and teachers in grades 7, 8, 11, and 12 with a summary review of the 22 cases mentioned in the New York State Regents' 11th grade "U.S. History and Government"…

Reinforcing earlier conclusions of the Educational Testing Service, this evaluation highlights the success of the "We the People" program using the "Justice for All" textbook produced by the Center for Civic Education (CCE), the program involves students in a rigorous study of the Constitution and Bill of Rights and supports…

Presents a lesson that focuses on the development of federal powers in relation to state powers using the federally-imposed 55 m.p.h. speed limit as a case study. The activities provide for class discussion, role playing, and a moot court simulation. (BSR)

Identifies five great ideas of the U.S. Constitution as power, liberty, justice, equality, and property. The first of two installments, article focuses on how ideas of power and liberty are presented in the Constitution. It also discusses how people may exercise power through voting and public protest and liberty through their First Amendment…

This lesson plan provides background on six significant historical documents: (1) "Meeting at Runnymede--The Story of King John and the Magna Carta"; (2) "The Mayflower Compact"; (3) "The Declaration of Independence and Natural Rights"; (4) "The Federalist Papers"; (5) "Aristotle: In Search of the Best…

The League of Women Voters/Tallahassee responded to an opportunity to research the concerns of Florida's judiciary following the disrupted general election of 2000. It received a grant for the Judicial Independence Project, a project supported by a grant from the Program on Law and Society of the Open Society Institute, from the League of Women…

This pamphlet is designed to aid law students as they participate in the "Street Law" seminar that pairs law students and educators in the high school classroom. The clinical program places future lawyers in the classroom to help instruct in areas such as how the law affects daily lives, the meaning of the Constitution, dispute…