Handout
Social Studies Help Center

Social Studies Help Center: The Supreme Court as Defender of the Constitution

For Students 9th - 10th
This site gives you examples of court cases demonstrating how the Supreme Court upholds the constituion. It also includes links to further information.
Primary
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: u.s. Constitution: Schechter Poultry Corporation v. United States (1953)

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource contains the full text of the opinion delivered by Chief Justice Hughes of the Supreme Court. This case was about unfair competition.
Primary
University of Groningen

American History: Documents: Pollock v. Farmer's Loan and Trust Co. 1895

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the complete text of the landmark Supreme Court case of Pollock v. Farmer's Loan and Trust Co. 1895.
Primary
University of Groningen

American History: Documents: u.s. V. e.c. Knight and Co. 1895

For Students 9th - 10th
View the complete text of the 1895 Supreme Court case of the United States v. E.C. Knight and Co. which concerned the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Marbury v. Madison (1803)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that affirmed the Court's power of judicial review. Students learn how Congress tried to add to the Supreme Court's Constitutional power, how the Supreme Court rejected...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that it was unconstitutional for a state to force students to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Students learn how the interests of national unity and...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-instructional activity covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that established a school's ability to prohibit inappropriate student language on campus. Students learn about the First Amendment right of free speech,...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that extended First Amendment protections to learners in the classroom. Students learn about the concept of symbolic speech and how learners gained the right to engage in...
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...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that it was constitutional to keep black and white people segregated as long as the accommodations for each race were "equal." Students learn about the concept of...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: u.s. V. Nixon (1974)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-instructional activity covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that then-sitting President Nixon had to turn over some recordings of his presidential communications to a court of law. Students learn about the...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court decision that determined that Dred Scott, having lived in a free territory, was not entitled to his freedom. Students learn about the impact of the Court's decision, and how it was...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Texas v. Johnson (1989)

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that burning the American flag is a form of political speech protected by the First Amendment. Students learn about the First Amendment freedom of speech and the...
Article
A&E Television

History.com: This Is How Fdr Tried to Pack the Supreme Court

For Students 9th - 10th
When his New Deal legislation kept getting struck down, FDR proposed a law targeting justices over the age of 70.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-instructional activity covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that established a school principal's right to censor student articles in the school newspaper. Students learn about the limits on student free speech in...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Korematsu v. United States (1944)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-instructional activity covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that determined the government acted constitutionally when it detained people of Japanese ancestry inside internment camps during World War II. Students...

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