Explores the differences between the U.S. Constitution and British constitutional law. Specifically examines the concept of the U.S. Bill of Rights in relation to the United Kingdom common law doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty. (BSR)

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)

Examines four recent Supreme Court decisions. The decisions involve Miranda rights, alleged Fourth Amendment violations (good faith exception and vehicle searches), and the right to confront witnesses. (BSR)

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)

Offers guidance for conducting Law Day activities in public schools. Maintains that Law Day should be more than a one-shot lecture by lawyers in a high school auditorium. Provides a variety of ideas and aids for planning a successful Law Day program that enhances year-round law-related education efforts. (JDH)

Explains the meaning of a writ of habeas corpus, provides a brief history of its use in England and the United States, and clarifies how the writ is used as an instrument which compels government to adhere to basic constitutional and legal principles rather than exercise power in an arbitrary and self-serving manner. (JDH)

Reviews the earliest roots of the legal values and principles embodied in the United States Constitution, much of which may be traced to the Magna Carta (1215) and other precedents set by English law. (JDH)

Provides an activity designed to help students understand how U.S. Supreme Court judges are selected. Points out that the Constitution does not specify any qualification to serve as a federal judge, but that an unwritten rule is that all nominees have a bachelor of laws degree. (JDH)

This article examines the history and thinking of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists in order to explain the formation of the ideas which allow the U.S. Constitution to provide for an effective government without sacrificing vital individual liberties. (JDH)

Presents a lesson which has students examine constitutional guarantees regarding freedom of religion. The lesson uses key U.S. Supreme Court cases, the Constitution, and the Northwest Ordinance to involve students in examining the issue of prayer in public schools. (JDH)

Explores the concept of separation of powers in terms of recent conflicts between the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government. Points out that what the Supreme Court has said about separation of powers in the domestic context may complicate resolution of more serious problems in foreign affairs. (BSR)

Presents a game which has students interpret Articles I, II, and III of the U.S. Constitution to understand the allocation of powers among the 3 branches of government. The game helps students understand the interaction between the 3 branches of government, stressing the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances. (JDH)

Describes a lesson which has students examine the limits of judicial power when executive branch decisions violate constitutional guarantees. The lesson is based on a hypothetical case involving living conditions in a run-down jail. (JDH)

This lesson provides a simulation in which upper elementary and middle school students establish classroom routines, participate in decision-making activities, improve their understanding of the Constitutional Convention, and differentiate among the three branches of government. (BSR)