The purpose of this lesson is to explain the two overarching modes of constitutional interpretation – strict and loose construction – and their use and application to particular Supreme Court cases. After an in-class investigation activity to explore the various methods of interpretation, students will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their command of these definitions and express their opinions of the merits and limitations of each method during a mock Supreme Court session where students will revisit the Court’s opinions in Brown v. Board of Education (school segregation) and DC v. Heller (Second Amendment).

Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Miranda v. Arizona. Dealing with the Fifth and Sixth Amendments and whether or not the accused needs to be advised of their rights upon arrest, this lesson asks students to evaluate the extent to which Miranda is the fulfillment of the legal tradition of the promise against self-incrimination.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed, deciding that the police had not taken proper steps to inform Miranda of his constitutional rights. This resource includes teacher materials, guides, and activities for teaching about this Supreme Court case.

Missouri v. Seibert (2004) asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether a popular police technique for eliciting confessions violated constitutional protections. The Court ruled that the practice of questioning a suspect to the point of confession, notifying them of their rights, and having them voluntarily waive their rights to confess a second time was unconstitutional.

Mistretta v. United States (1989) asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the United States Sentencing Commission, created by Congress through the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, was constitutional. The court found that the Congress could use practical and specific legislation to form a special commission, dedicated to creating and maintaining federal sentencing guidelines.

In prep for the 250th anniversary of US founding, this toolbox of resources in history, civics, literature, arts, and culture to tell teh story of our ongoing quest to become a more just, inclusive, and sustainable society.

In this lesson, students will trace the growing public voice of women in American society through various reform movements as well as organized womenâ"s rights movements in antebellum America. Students will analyze the writings of men and women central to the rise of the womenâ"s rights movement and analyze the contributions of several leading figures in the movement.

In this lesson, students meet James Madison as he is working on the Bill of Rights and assist him in deciding the most important rights to include. Access to this resource requires a free educator login.

In Munn v. Illinois (1877), the U.S. Supreme Court found that the state of Illinois could regulate a private industry in the public interest. The Court's decision drew a distinction between state and federal industry regulation.

Members of CRF’s Youth Board lead a lesson for elementary students as they learn about the three branches of government. Links to free, downloadable lesson materials included. Access to this resource requires a free educator login.

In this lesson, students will learn about the 1983 report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education and the succeeding efforts at responsible education reform in America. They will also determine ways they can be responsible.

Natural law is a theory that says all humans inherit—perhaps through a divine presence—a universal set of moral rules that govern human conduct.

This discussion guide is for use with the video âThe Nature of Judicial Independence,â which features remarks and conversation with Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Hon. Stephanos Bibas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and David F. Levi, former dean of Duke University School of Law, on October 26, 2019, at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Near v. Minnesota was a groundbreaking case which ensured that prohibitions against prior restraint applied to states as well as the federal government. The Supreme Court used the Fourteenth Amendment to incorporate First Amendment Freedom of Press to the states.

In Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart (1976), the U.S. Supreme Court addressed a conflict between two constitutional rights: freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial. The Court struck down a gag order, finding that pre-trial media coverage does not, on its own, guarantee an unfair trial.

The Supreme Court decided that the search did not violate the Constitution and established more lenient standards for reasonableness in school searches. This resource includes teacher materials, guides, and activities for teaching about this Supreme Court case.

New York Times Company v. United States (1971) pitted First Amendment freedoms against national security interests. The case dealt with whether or not the executive branch of the United States government could request an injunction against the publication of classified material. The Supreme Court found that prior restraint carries a "heavy presumption against constitutional validity."

The Ninth Amendment ensures that you don't lose certain rights just because they're not specifically granted to you or mentioned elsewhere in the U.S. Constitution.

This resource is a lecture about Nixon and the Constitution by R. B. Bernstein.

Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Nollan v. California Coastal Commission. Dealing with whether or not regulations restricting property owners' actions on their own property are protected by the Fifth Amendment, this lesson asks students why property rights are sometimes referred to as a "bundle of sticks."