If James Madison was the "father" of the Constitution," John Marshall was the "father of the Supreme Court""”almost single-handedly clarifying its powers. This new lesson is designed to help students understand Marshall's brilliant strategy in issuing his decision on Marbury v. Madison, the significance of the concept of judicial review, and the language of this watershed case.

Students will learn about the federal and state courts and what they do. They will explore the courts’ role in fairly settling disputes and administering justice, and the unique role of the U.S. Supreme Court in interpreting the U.S. Constitution.

In this one-minute video, students learn about the judicial branch of government. A host explains the structure and function of the judicial branch, and students will analyze the role that the judicial branch plays in the United States government.

In a constitutional system of government, the role of the judiciary is essential for maintaining the balance of power, protecting individual rights, upholding the rule of law, interpreting the Constitution, and ensuring equal justice for all.
The estimated time for this lesson plan is two class periods.

What is jury duty, and why is it important? In this one-minute video, students learn about jury duty. A host explains what a jury is and how juries are selected, then students consider why jury duty is an important civic duty.

In Katzenbach v. Morgan (1966), the United States Supreme Court ruled that Congress had not exceeded its authority when crafting Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which extended voting rights to a group of voters who had been turned away at the polls because they could not pass literacy tests. The case hinged on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Enforcement Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Katz v. United States (1967) asked the Supreme Court to decide whether wiretapping a public phone booth requires a search warrant. The Court found that an average person has an expectation of privacy while making a call in a public phone booth. As a result, agents violated the Fourth Amendment when they used electronic surveillance to listen in on a suspect without a warrant.

Jury Service: Our Duty and Privilege as Citizens Very detailed Lesson plan by Annenberg with worksheets, videos, role plays can be condensed, could use bits and pieces of this as time and interest allows. Weakness: some activities are aimed more for the middle school crowd.

In Lawrence v. Texas (2003) the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Texas law prohibiting same-sex couples from engaging in sexual activity, even in the home, was unconstitutional. The case overturned Bowers v. Hardwick, a case in which the Court had upheld an anti-sodomy law in Georgia a few decades prior.

In this Learning Adventure, we’ll examine what parts of the Constitution give the branches of the Federal Government their specific powers. Those three parts are Article I, Article II, and Article III.

In this Learning Adventure, we’ll discover who made the Branches of Government and why they’re so important.

Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Marbury v. Madison. Setting the precedent of Judicial review, this lesson focuses on the question of whether or not the Supreme Court should have the power to overturn unconstitutional federal laws.

Video on Marbury v Madison created by HipHistory--fun--good for some good chuckles only 8 mins

In Massiah v. United States (1964), the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prevents police officers from deliberately eliciting incriminating statements from a suspect after that suspect has invoked the right to counsel.

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 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.

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.