Does the principle of “one person, one vote” permit states to use total population rather than total voter population when apportioning legislative districts? This case summary explores this question and the principle of one person, one vote, in this case about drawing district lines.
Arizona Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (2015)
Did Proposition 106 violate the Elections Clause of the US Constitution by removing congressional districting power from the state legislature? The case summary provides the facts, and the Supreme Court’s answer to this question.
Elonis v. United States (2015)
Does a conviction of threatening another person under 18 USC §875(c) require proof of the defendant’s subjective intent to threaten? This case summary explores the meanings and standards of proof behind intentions.
EEOC v. Abercrombie (2015)
Can an employer be held liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for refusing to hire an applicant based on a religious observance or practice if the employer did not have direct knowledge that a religious accommodation was required? This case summary shows how the Supreme Court answered that question in 2015.
Political Ideology in America: Bumper Sticker Politics
Americans love to personalize their vehicles in a way you will not see in many other countries. This lesson explores political ideology by analyzing data on automobile purchases and bumper stickers. Students will learn generalizations about conservatives, liberals, Democrats, Republicans, libertarians, socialists and appreciate the American custom of advertising political thought in public. Free registration required to access the lesson plan.
Birchfield v. North Dakota (2016)
Can a state make it a crime for a driver to refuse to take a test to detect alcohol in the driver’s blood? This case summary deals with unreasonable search and seizure and how that relates to DUIs.
Making Our Fourth Amendment Right Real
This lesson plan is based on the Annenberg Classroom video “Search and Seizure: Mapp v. Ohio,” which explores the landmark search-and-seizure case that makes state governments also responsible for protecting our Fourth Amendment right. With the exclusionary rule, this right becomes real for all of us.
Your Right to Remain Silent: Miranda v. Arizona
In 1966, the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Miranda v. Arizona dramatically changed criminal procedures. The Court linked the Fifth Amendment’s privilege against self-incrimination to the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of a right to counsel and applied both to protect a suspect’s rights from arrest through trial. This lesson plan is based on the Annenberg Classroom video “The Right to Remain Silent: Miranda v. Arizona.”
Our Heritage of Liberty: The Bill of Rights
This lesson is based on a two-part Annenberg Classroom video – The Story of the Bill of Rights and the Ten Amendments – about one of the toughest political fights in American history and the outcome that became a symbol of liberty and freedom in America: The Bill of Rights.
Rights at Risk in Wartime
The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, stunned the nation. As commander-in-chief, President George W. Bush responded quickly but soon all three branches of government would be embroiled in the struggle to balance national security with the protection of individual liberties amid a war on terror. This lesson plan is based on the Annenberg Classroom video “Habeas Corpus: The Guantanamo Cases.” The four cases are examples of how the Supreme Court, the president and Congress fought to balance national security and civil liberties during the war on terror. At the heart of each case was the constitutional right of habeas corpus, the right to have one’s detention or imprisonment reviewed in court.