SCOTUS Takes Center Stage

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor

This week, the confirmation hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be the 114th justice to serve on the United States Supreme Court will be front and center in many #CivicsIsBack classrooms. Nina Totenberg from National Public Radio states that abortion, gun rights, presidential power and campaign finance reform are likely to be current and controversial issues addressed in the hearings.

It is the perfect opportunity to address essential questions such as:
  • How should the government balance individual rights with the common good?
  • Are the branches balanced?
  • What responsibilities do people in charge have to others?
  • Who has the power and why?
  • What should be the role of the judicial branch?
  • How should the courts interpret the law?
  • Does the structure of the federal court system allow it to administer justice effectively?
  • To what extent has the judiciary protected the rights of privacy, security, and personal freedom?
To help #CivicsIsBack classrooms explore these and other questions, there are a plethora of resources for your consideration.
  • Check out this C-SPAN/PSB Survey on public attitudes about the U.S. Superme Court.
  • Do you think you have what it takes to interpret the law? Street Law has a great activity to illustrate it is not as easy as you might think.
  • Street Law also has a great simulation for students to decide if they would "grant cert" to discern the complexity of serving on the SCOTUS.
  • Our friends at icivics.org have a wonderful lesson plan to help students understand how the nomination process works.
  • Illinois Civics has a lesson plan that uses the current and controversial issue of the citizenship question on the census to explore how courts might weigh in on the issue.
  • PBS Education also has several lessons highlighting the importance of the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • The New York Times has curated "10 Ways to Study the Supreme Court" complete with lesson plans!
  • The Annenberg Foundation has a wealth of video resources about the importance of the court and landmark cases.
Do you have favorite resources to teach students about the U.S. Supreme Court? Please list them in the comment section below. Together, we can prepare ALL students for college, career and civic life.

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