High School Curriculum on the Judiciary

Welcome to this interactive addition to the American Judicature Society's website. It reflects our continuing efforts to educate the public about the workings of the judicial branch of government. We invite you to download the lesson plans described below, use them in your classroom, and then suggest revisions to the plans and share your comments and questions about them. See "How to Participate" at the bottom of the page.

What Is This?

The High School Curriculum on the Judiciary is two-lesson unit prepared for high-school seniors.

One lesson, The Supreme Court, involves research and students role playing U. S. Supreme Court justices, their clerks, and opposing attorneys. Upon completion of the learning activities, students should:

• Know the jurisdictions of the various courts
• Understand how the Supreme Court works
• Understand the changing role of the Supreme Court through history and its relationship to the two other branches of government
• Understand the Constitution as a living document

Teachers will find detailed notes for preparing for and presenting this lesson. Included are:

• Recommended day planner
• Class notes
• Student rubrics, instructions (with assignment notes for justices, clerks and lawyers) and handout
• A real case with hypothetical amicus curiae briefs and writ of certiorari
• Majority and dissenting opinions from the real case for use as overheads

The second lesson, titled Court Procedure, is a simulation game about a murder. It requires students to role play witnesses, prosecuting and defense attorneys, detectives, CSI team members, jurors, a court clerk, journalist, photographer, and other justice-system actors. As with the Supreme Court lesson, detailed teacher notes, day planner, student rubrics, handouts and links to resources are provided. At the completion of this unit students will:

• Understand the rights of the accused
• Know the role of the players in the court system
• Know the protections in the Bill of Rights that apply to an accused
• Know the influence of the Supreme Court on the court process
• Understand relevant legal terminology

Who Made This Possible?

This curriculum was made possible by a grant from the Foundation for the Advancement of an Independent Judiciary and the Rule of Law. Project staff at the American Judicature Society worked with a committee of judges, lawyers and high-school social science teachers and a curriculum writer to draft and refine the lesson plans. Then they were pilot tested in three high schools, one suburban (Miller Place High School, Miller Place, NY), one urban (Somerville High School, Somerville, MA) and one rural (Lake Havasu High School, Lake Havasu, AZ), and evaluated by professionals at the Research Institute for Studies in Education (RISE) at Iowa State University. We are very grateful to the project advisory committee members, and thank them for their dedication and commitment. They are: Judge Betty Fletcher, U. S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit Judge Ann Williams, U. S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit Judge Ortrie Smith, U. S. District Court, Western District of Missouri Jon B. Comstock, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. John Wheeler, Iowa State Bar Association Richard Theisen, Past President, National Council for the Social Studies Kristen Borges, High School Government Teacher Nancy Peterson, High School Government Teacher; Curriculum Writer