Social Studies for Kids
Social Studies for Kids: The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the highest in the land. It has nine members and decides whether laws are unconstitutional. It handles appeals from federal courts or state supreme courts. Learn more about how it works and some famous Justices.
Other
Supreme Court Rules in Exclusionary Rule Case
Description of a 1995 court case, Arizona v. Evans, in which the ruling was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court and how the case applies to the Exclusionary Rule.
Library of Congress
Loc: Slaves and the Courts
Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860 contains just over a hundred pamphlets and books (published between 1772 and 1889) concerning the difficult and troubling experiences of African and African-American slaves in the American colonies and...
This Nation
This nation.com: Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
The full text of Chief Justice Earl Warren's decision in this landmark Supreme Court case.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Landmark Cases: Schechter v. u.s. (1935)
PBS provides details on the landmark Supreme Court case of Schechter v. U.S. which dealt with congressional powers under the Commerce Clause.
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: The Marshall Cases
Text of landmark Supreme Court cases presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall, that decided questions of how to interpret the U.S. Constitution. The cases took place between 1801 and 1825.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: De Jonge v. State of Oregon (1937)
This resource provides a summary of the case De Jonge v State of Oregon.
Scholastic
Scholastic: John Doe in a u.s. Court
This site from Scholastic provides a well-written essay describes the federal court system and its jurisdiction including the '7 steps in justice.'
US National Archives
National Archives: u.s. V. Amistad: A Case of Jurisdiction
Students will review the Amistad case and use passages from the case explore the concept of jurisdiction and how a case travels through the federal court system. Also, included are links to the background of the Amistad case, a...
iCivics
I Civics: Curriculum Unit Landmark Library
This library of mini-lessons targets a variety of landmark cases from the United States Supreme Court and includes a one-page reading and a one-page activity.
C-SPAN
C Span Classroom: Teaching About King v. Burwell
Learning module with lesson plan in which students learn about the various for and against positions of the A.C.A. (Affordable Care Act) by watching C-SPAN videos and reading related articles, then participate in a classroom deliberation...
Illinois Institute of Technology
Oyez Project: New York Times v. United States (1971)
This U.S. Supreme Court case allowed the publication of the "Pentagon Papers." The OYEZ resource provides an abstract containing a concise summary, an audio file, a link to the full text of the decision and a record of how the justices...
Illinois Institute of Technology
Regents of University of California v. Bakke (1978)
The U.S. Supreme Court case that allowed affirmative action to be a criteria for admission decisions in institutes of higher education.
BBC
Bbc: Profile: Sonia Sotomayor
This BBC profile provides an overview of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's background with an emphasis on her professional life. Also provides links to related stories on significant judicial issues, significant cases she has...
US National Archives
Docsteach: u.s. V. Amistad: A Case of Jurisdiction
Students will analyze specified passages from the Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Libellants of Schooner Amistad to explore the concept of jurisdiction and how a case travels through the federal court system.
Cool Fire Technology
Cool Fire Technology: Supreme Court Decisions
A listing of the most significant Supreme Court cases in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with brief summaries of how they impacted on federalism.
Other
The Alliance: Review of in Re Gault
This article provides an easily understandable description of the 1967 U.S Supreme Court case involving Gerald Gault.
This Nation
This nation.com: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
This site from ThisNation.com provides Justice Henry B. Brown's full text of the Supreme Court's decision in this landmark case, written by Henry B. Brown.
This Nation
This nation.com: New York Times Co. V. Sullivan (1964)
This site from ThisNation.com provides Justice William J. Brennan, Jr.'s full text of the Supreme Court's decision in this landmark case.
This Nation
This nation.com: Dred Scott v. Sanford (1856)
This site from ThisNation.com provides Chief Justice Roger B. Taney's full text of the Supreme Court's decision in this landmark case.
American Academy of Achievement
Academy of Achievement: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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...
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: Texas v. Johnson
This Landmark Supreme Court Cases and the Constitution eLesson focuses on a case involving expressive conduct, and what is for many a deeply cherished symbol of America, the U.S. flag. In a closely divided (5-4) ruling, the Supreme Court...
US National Archives
Our Documents: Mc Culloch v. Maryland
Learn about this landmark Supreme Court case on the issues of federal power and commerce. Provides an image of a document from the case files and a transcript of the opinion delivered in 1819 by Chief Justice John Marshall.
Other
Debating Racial Preference Gratz Grutter
A site that has links to a large amount of information regarding the Gratz and Grutter Supreme Court cases. Links include documents, summaries, issues, briefs, and oral arguments.