Lesson Plan 10:

New Jersey V. T.L.O

FROM THE 1998-1999 TERM

Grade Level: 6th through 12th

Description: In this lesson, students explore some of the top Supreme Court cases of the 1998-1999 term, assessing the issues behind these cases and the potential impact of the decisions made by the Court. Students will work in pairs or small groups to closely examine one of this term’s Supreme Court cases and then create a brief quiz to be used to teach classmates about the significance of their assigned court case.

Objectives: Students will:

1. Examine the purpose and processes of the Supreme Court of the United States, and suggest important decisions the Supreme Court has made over the last year.

2. Analyze a chart depicting twelve of the Supreme Court cases ruled on during the course of the 1998-1999 term, assessing the issues behind each case and the potential impact of the decision made by the Court.

3. Explore a Supreme Court decision from the 1998-1999 term in depth, focusing on why this case was brought before the Court, the Court’s decision, and the outcomes of related cases brought before the Court during this term.

4. Design a brief multiple choice quiz about the case studied and its significance.

Materials: Student journals, pens/pencil, paper, classroom blackboard, copies of "The Top Cases" located at http://www.nytimes.com/ learning/general/ featured_articles/ 990628monday.html (one per student), copies of "The Justices Decide Who’s in Charge" located at ( http://www.nytimes.com/ learning/ general/featured_articles/ 990628Amonday.html ) (one per student), and American history or civics textbooks (optional).

Procedures

1. What is the purpose of the Supreme Court of the United States?

2. What types of court cases does the Supreme Court try?

3. What important decisions has the Supreme Court made over the last year?

Students who are not very knowledgeable about the Supreme Court may use their American history or civics textbooks to answer these questions. Then, review students’ answers as a class, being sure to correct any misconceptions and elaborate on responses as necessary. Read and discuss the graph titled "The Top Cases", located at ( http://www.nytimes.com/ learning/general/featured_articles/ 990628monday.html ). First, be sure to help students understand how the photograph and illustrations of the justices "match." Discuss why this is an effective way to chart this information. Then, discuss each of the cases summarized in the graph. For each case, focus on the following questions:

1. How would you define the issue of this case? (e.g., What is a census, or what is deportation?)

2. In your own words, what was the decision made by the Supreme Court regarding this issue?

3. Why is this issue important to American society today?

4. What impact might this decision have on individuals, the government, the media, and/or businesses?

Divide students into twelve pairs or small groups of three. Assign each group one of the cases of the graph. Distribute "The Justices Decide Who’s in Charge", located at ( http://www.nytimes.com/ learning/general/featured_articles/ 990628Amonday.html ), to students, and explain that they will be using this New York Times article to answer some basic questions about the importance of these Supreme Court decisions. Advise students to skim the article for the information that they need. Each pair or small group should answer the following questions (written on the board prior to class):

1. Why was this case brought before the Supreme Court? (What was the case about?)

2. What was the decision made by the Supreme Court?

3. How did the Court describe its reasons for deciding this case in this way?

4. What other related court cases (if any) discussed in the article were also brought before the Supreme Court this term, and what were the outcomes in the Court?

Once the group has answered the questions regarding the Supreme Court’s decisions on their assigned case, the students in the group design a brief (four to six questions) multiple choice quiz about their case and its significance. Questions should focus around key issues in the court case itself, rather than on minutia, in an effort to help other students understand the relevance of this case. In a future class, students should present their quizzes to the class and discuss the cases more thoroughly when reviewing the answers with their classmates.

Tying it all Together: Questions for Discussion:

1. What is the basic procedure for determining cases that will come before the United States Supreme Court?

2. What Constitutional basis is there for the procedures of the Supreme Court?

3. Why does the Supreme Court sometimes reverse its own decisions?

4. What purposes does a court system have in a democracy?

5. How do courts at local, state and national levels differ? How are they similar?

6. How do the legislative, executive, and judicial branches share power and responsibilities?

7. Why is the decision to grant more powers to states a significant reconfiguration of the court system in the United States?

8. How does the Supreme Court affect the lives of Americans?

9. What is the relationship of justice to American society as a whole?

Evaluation:

Optional Activities:

1. "Retry" one of the court cases researched in class. How would each student vote on this issue if he or she were a member of the Supreme Court? What information about American society can be determined by reviewing the case? Particularly, what does this case tell us about society at the time in which the case was tried? Has anything changed?

2. Write biographies about current (or past) Supreme Court justices and the important cases which they significantly influenced.

3. Create a flow chart of how a court case (either a general case or a specific one) goes through the process of being heard in front of the Supreme Court.

4. Diagram your state’s judicial system and where it intersects with the federal court system. What is the difference between a case in federal court and a case in state court? What powers are given to federal courts, and what powers are given to state courts?

5. Research the creation of some of the federal laws referred to in some of the Supreme Court’s decisions during the 1998-1999 term, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. When and why were these acts created, and how have they since impacted American law?

6. Select one of the issues discussed in the featured graph and examine their historical significance. Create a time line indicating important court cases and legislation related to this issue.

7. Learn about another historic Supreme Court case and its effects on American society. What results of this Court decision do you see in society today?

8. Interview an attorney who practices a type of law that relates directly to one of the issues discussed in the featured graph, such as civil rights law or immigration law. In what types of cases does this lawyer participate, and how? How have Supreme Court decisions affected his or her practice of law? What trends seem to exist in this type of law?

This lesson plan, written by Alison Zimbalist of the New Your Times Learning Network and Lorin Driggs, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City, was found at http://www.nytimes.com/ learning/teachers/ lessons/ 990628monday.htm