May it Please the Court

Jenny Park Bronx Leadership Academy

May it Please the Court . . .

Introduction

Congratulations! You have just been appointed to the US Supreme Court. Get ready to hear your first case.

Task

Ultimately, you and your fellow Associate Justices will be writing an opinion about the merits of a case. This majority opinion will include:

· general background about the amendment in controversy;

· the actual text of the relevant amendment (in part or whole);

· a summary of the facts of the case;

· brief discussion of the two arguments;

· use of two (2) precedents in deciding the case; and

· your decision and rationale.

Lastly, craft a dissenting opinion following a similar outline as above, but that argues for a different outcome in the case.

Process

To help prepare you and the Court for your task, use the following steps to guide you:

1. Pick any one of the following constitutional cases.

2. Summarize the facts of the case.

Be sure to form and print out a copy of the issue.

3. Understand the arguments involved.

4. Read the text of the relevant amendment.

5. Research the background of this amendment.

6. Find two precedent (older similar cases that have already been decided).

7. Discuss the decision and rationale for your decision by completing this worksheet.

8. Write out the 1 page majority opinion and 1 page dissenting opinion.

Supplemental Resources

Glossary of Legal Terms

Evaluation

See how well you are doing by looking at the grading rubric.

Conclusion

You have successfully decided your very first US Supreme Court case. Have you and your fellow justices achieved “justice under the law”?