The 2018-19 Supreme Court term concluded with a number of unanswered questions: What is the fate of the "citizenship question" on the 2020 census? What will the developing Supreme Court jurisprudence of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh look like in the near future? How will Chief Justice Roberts continue to evolve as the "swing"…

Students feel strongly about the controversial topics elevated by recent and historic Supreme Court cases. Supreme Court cases provide materials for teaching about contested public issues in relevant and meaningful ways that help students develop critical decision-making skills, gain civic content knowledge, improve communication skills, and…

March 18, 2013, marked the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's unanimous 1963 decision in "Gideon v. Wainwright." "Gideon," a petty criminal, accused of suspicion of breaking and entry was the seminal Supreme Court case that ruled that defendants in criminal cases have the right to an attorney even if they cannot afford to…

As the presidential election of 2012 draws closer, Americans will witness a resurgence of references to the Electoral College in news reports. Here, "Looking at the Law" hopes to demystify the Electoral College, and refresh many social studies memories--just in time for the next election--with some frequently asked questions about electing the…

Fifty years ago, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." In exploring the story of the events behind the essay, and the Supreme Court case that resulted, "Walker v. Birmingham", 399 U.S. 307 (1967), educators will find a pedagogically powerful lens through which to review the seminal…

Many countries around the world have compulsory voting laws. In the United States, where voter turnout tends to be lower than in other developed democracies, experts wonder whether voting laws would have a positive impact. In two distinct essays, voting and elections experts Norman Ornstein and Vassia Stoilov debate the implementation of…

This article presents an interview with Edward Biester, an attorney and a member of the ABA Section of Antitrust Law, who recently led the Section's initiative to develop a curriculum for high school students. In this interview, Biester discusses the history of American antitrust laws, looks at some of the contemporary issues, and highlights the…

In this article, the authors explore the timely and sometimes controversial topic of gay civil rights and how the attendant issues might be taught in the social studies classroom. Many teachers shy away from teaching students about gay rights issues for a variety of reasons including personal beliefs, a lack of instructional time as a result of…

The process of voting is a fundamental right and privilege of any democracy. In fact, "Merriam-Webster" defines the word democracy as "a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free…

Discusses various cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court during the 1999-2000 term concerning criminal law, the First Amendment, grandparent visitation, and other close cases. Includes a section featuring teaching activities and discussion questions by Michelle Parrini and Jennifer Kittlaus. (CMK)

The right to life encompasses the basic needs for self-preservation. An examination of legal action in the area of environmental problems raises a question concerning man's right to life if resort to the courts and legislative halls fails. (Author/JB)

This article discusses the constitutional amendment process. Although the process is not described in great detail, Article V of the United States Constitution allows for and provides instruction on amending the Constitution. While the amendment process currently consists of six steps, the Constitution is nevertheless quite difficult to change.…

Images of heretics burning at the stake or of traitors being drawn, hanged, and quartered for disloyalty to the king seem well removed from twenty-first century America. Yet the laws that defined these offenses--which included heresy and blasphemy, sedition and treason--were at the heart of some of the most significant debates defining the shape…

Reviews recent court decisions regarding whether individuals with contagious diseases may be barred from public schools. Devotes specific attention to the issue of whether certain communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) can be classified as handicaps and thereby qualify a person for protection…

The women's movement has helped define and has in turn been shaped by the basic constitutional concepts of the privileges of a citizen, the equal protection of the laws and the limited powers of the government. (Author)