Civil Liberties Research Project

Overview: Students will be working in groups to research one court case that impacted laws related to one particular civil liberty. Groups will use their findings to prepare a poster and a short 10-minute presentation to the rest of the class.


STEP 1: Groups will choose to focus on one area of civil liberties

• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of the press
• Freedom of religion
• Freedom of assembly
• Right to bear arms
• Right to privacy
• Right to equal protection
• Right to due process

STEP 2: Groups will identify and research one major supreme court case from the last 20 years related to this civil liberty

Your presentation must provide explanations of the following:

1. Background details of the case (see: Essential Questions Worksheet)
2. The key issues being decided by the court
3. How the court ruled
4. How the court justified its decision
5. How the court’s decision affected laws related to this civil liberty
6. Your group’s reaction to the court’s decision

Groups should divide responsibilities by assigning 2 of the above research subtopics to each member.

Each member of the group must turn in one page of paraphrased notes that cites a minimum of two websites used while researching their subtopics.

Suggested Websites for Research:
http://www.aclu.org/
http://www.aclu-wi.org/youth/rights/lawlibrary.html
http://www.oyez.org/issues/
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=167
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/topicssummary.aspx


Some recent court cases groups may wish to consider:

* Alexander v. Sandoval (2001)
In this ruling, the Supreme Court said that people stopped for a minor traffic infraction are subject to searches and arrest.

* Barber v. Dearborn Public Schools (2003)
A federal district judge in Michigan ruled in favor of a student's right to wear an antiwar t-shirt to school.

* Cheema v. Chandless (2005)
A Sikh Indian man imprisoned in San Francisco while seeking asylum in the United States sought the right to wear a religious head covering.

* Flaherty v. Keystone Oaks School District (2002)
A Pennsylvania high school was ordered to pay $60,000 to a student who was punished for a private message sent on the Internet.

* Jones v. City of Los Angeles (2006)
The ruling in this California case prohibits criminalization of the homeless.


STEP 3: Each group will prepare a poster that incorporates the following elements

• 2 photographs
• 1 primary source
• 1 graphic
• 1 original political cartoon (student-created)
• At least some information related to each research subtopic

Note: Groups are encouraged but not obligated to enhance their presentations by incorporating other elements such as video clips or PowerPoint.


STEP 4: Each group will prepare a 10-minute presentation on their court case, in which each student presents on their two research sub-topics.



GRADING: students will receive two grades for the project

1. Test Grade: This grade will reflect the quality of the materials turned in by the students including the poster, notes, and Essential Questions Worksheet. Students will be graded in terms of quality, accuracy, and thoroughness of these materials.

2. Participation Grade: The participation grade will be determined by a combination of teacher and student assessment of their contributions to the project during all phases of the project (research, preparation, and presentation).