Handout
BBC

Bbc: Bush Names Supreme Court Choice

For Students 9th - 10th
In this July 2005 article, the BBC discusses President George W. Bush's choice to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. The article does a nice job of explaining some aspects of the Supreme Court such as length of term, ideology, etc.
Activity
Other

Schs: The History of the Court

For Students 9th - 10th
Find a summary of each Supreme Court from the Jay Court, 1789-1795, through the Rehnquist Court, 1986-2005. Read about the major decisions and what was happening in the country at the time.
Primary
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Times Film Corp. V. City of Chicago (1961)

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in Times Film Corp. v. City of Chicago, a 1961 case that focused on free speech and obscenity.
Website
PBS

Pbs News Hour: The Samuel Alito Nomination

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the Senate hearings on the nomination by President George W. Bush of Samuel Alito in January, 2006. You can find out why the hearings and the nomination were so contentious.
Article
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: Supreme Court Justices: John Jay

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography of the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and author of some of the Federalist Papers.
Primary
PBS

Pbs News Hour: Alito Appearance Marks Shift in Court

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting discussion on Justice Samuel Alito's first day and what his presence on the Supreme Court will mean. Transcript, audio, video, and a link to analysis of the arguments he heard on his first day are included.
Activity
Scholastic

Scholastic: John Doe in a u.s. Court

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site from Scholastic provides a well-written essay describes the federal court system and its jurisdiction including the '7 steps in justice.'
Primary
Curated OER

History Matters: Separate but Equal: The Plessy v. Ferguson Case

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the judgment of Supreme Court justice, Henry Billings Brown, who wrote for the majority in the Plessy v Ferguson decision that codified the idea of "separate but equal" in the American justice system until it was overturned by Brown...
Primary
Other

Project p.a.t.c.h.: Dred Scott v. Sandford

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource presents the text of the case, Dred Scott, Plaintiff v. John F. Sandford, which was presented to the Supreme Court in December, 1856.
Lesson Plan
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Supreme Court Gps Warrant Hearing

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Investigators must acquire a search warrant before intitiating a GPS search of a vehicle to track criminals, decided upon by justices, so as not to infringe on the rights of search and seizure stated in the Bill of Rights. This lesson...
Website
US Government Publishing Office

Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Symbols of u.s. Government: Figures of Justice

For Students 3rd - 5th
Ben's Guide is a fun way to present U.S. Government to students grades K-12. This site presents the idea of justice. Links to related sites are available.
Primary
PBS

Pbs News Hour: Assessing the Alito Nomination

For Students 9th - 10th
Transcript, audio, and video of an October, 2005 report discussing previous rulings and stances taken by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
Website
USA Today

Usa Today: Alito Joins High Court After 58 42 Vote

For Students 9th - 10th
January, 2006, report covering the confirmation of Samuel Alito's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Includes links to related articles, videos, audio files, a poll, and interactive graphics.
Graphic
PBS

Pbs News Hour: The Confirmation Process

For Students 9th - 10th
As part of NewsHour's "The John Roberts Confirmation" site, a chart that describes the confirmation process for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Primary
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: In Re Gault (1967)

For Students 9th - 10th
Full court transcript of 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case involving a juvenile, Gerald Gault.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: The Judicial Branch

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Learners will learn about the federal and state courts and what they do. They will explore the courts' role in fairly settling disputes and administering justice, and the unique role of the U.S. Supreme Court in interpreting the U.S....
Article
NPR: National Public Radio

Npr: Q&a: John Roberts to the Supreme Court

For Students 9th - 10th
Background of John Roberts is given in a Q&A format. Roberts' biography, possible impact on court, stance on issues, and more. Article is from July, 2005.
Website
Other

Ccja: Guide to the Federal and Texas Bill of Rights and Individual Freedoms

For Students 9th - 10th
This guide contains excerpts and annotation for four historical government documents: the Federal Bill of Rights, the United States Constitution, the current United States Supreme Court Justices, and the Bill of Rights from the Texas...
Website
Illinois Institute of Technology

Oyez Project

For Students 9th - 10th
The OYEZ Project is a vast multimedia relational database on the U.S. Supreme Court that contains abstracts for all leading constitutional decisions of the Court, authoritative oral arguments in streamed media format, and a 360-degree...
Primary
PBS

Pbs News Hour: Senate Confirms Samuel Alito

For Students 9th - 10th
The confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice, with particular emphasis on the fight in the Senate, is highlighted in this report from January, 2006. A transcript, audio, and video are available.
Handout
American Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement: Anthony Kennedy Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
Biography of Supreme Court Justice, Anthony Kennedy, appointed by Ronald Reagan and taking his seat as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court on February 18, 1988.
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: John Jay

For Students 3rd - 6th
This article chronicles the life of John Jay, one of America's founding fathers and the first chief justice of the Supreme Court. Includes a portrait and illustrations.
Website
American Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Supreme Court Justice. She was one of the first female attorneys and fought gender inequality for much of her career as a lawyer, even arguing cases before the Supreme Court prior to herself taking a...
Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

For Students 9th - 10th
Read interesting details about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman, and first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court.