Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that gave defendants in state criminal courts the right to a lawyer. Students learn about the 6th Amendment right to a lawyer, why the right is important, and how the...
Activity
Illinois Institute of Technology

Oyez Project: Robinson v. California (1962)

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief summary of the case where Supreme Court concluded that it is "cruel and unusual" punishment to convict someone of being addicted to the use of narcotics.
Handout
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Bureau of Investigation: George "Machine Gun" Kelly

For Students 9th - 10th
Information about the life, crimes (including quotes from ransom notes and newspaper articles), and capture of the infamous gangster, George "Machine Gun" Kelly.
Handout
Lectric Law Library

'Lectric Law Library: Sentence

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief summary of the legal term "sentence."
Handout
University of Missouri

Famous Trials: Oj Trial Johnnie Cochran

For Students 9th - 10th
Short article on attorney Johnnie Cochran (1937-2005), his part in the O. J. Simpson trial, and his defense of other high profile clients.
Website
University of Missouri

Famous Trials: The Mississippi Burning Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
Updated detailed account of the case of United States versus Cecil Price et al., also known as the "Mississippi Burning trial", a criminal trial where the United States charged a group of 18 men with conspiring in a Ku Klux Klan plot to...
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Supreme Court: Expanding Our Civil Rights: Gideon v. Wainwright

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a synopsis of the landmark Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright, which ruled that states must provide defense attorneys to any indigent criminal defendant charged with a felony. The decision was written by Justice Hugo Black.
Website
Other

Canadian Legal Fa Qs: Charter of Rights and Freedoms Fa Qs

For Students 9th - 10th
By answering some important questions about the role of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the court system, this resource gives insight to the multiple ways the Charter impacts Canadians and the role the Supreme Court has in...
Handout
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: Article Iii: Categories of Contempt

For Students 9th - 10th
An in-depth look at the different types of contempt of court, in the United States legal system.
Primary
PBS

Pbs: Interview With Jim Liebman, Constitutional Law Professor at Columbia Univ.

For Students 9th - 10th
Does innocence matter in our criminal justice system? Don't the DNA cases show that we are not getting the right outcome in more cases than we previously thought?
Primary
PBS

Pbs: Interview With Bennett Gershman, Former Prosecutor

For Students 9th - 10th
Why does the criminal justice system resist reopening cases based on new DNA evidence? This former prosecutor sheds light on the answer in this informative interview.
Article
University of Missouri

Famous Trials: The Osage "Reign of Terror" Murder Trials

For Students 9th - 10th
The "Reign of Terror" that overtook the Osage Reservation in 1921 is just one chapter in the long story of mistreatment of Native Americans by whites, but is one of the most horrifying. Before the chapter ends, untold dozens of Osage...

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