This podcast, hosted by The Honorable Zia Faruqui, Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, aims to show the human side of judges – their backgrounds, diversity, and common struggles. Brought to you by The Rendell Center, each episode features an engaging personal conversation between Judge Faruqui and a federal, state, or local judge that provides invaluable civics insights and helps students and educators to gain a better understanding of who they are and how they arrive at decisions.
Judges on Judging Podcast
This six-part podcast, hosted by The Honorable Marjorie O. Rendell, a federal judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, explores the role of judges and courts in our democracy, as well as the importance of a Fair and Impartial Judiciary. The podcasts include discussions among jurists regarding current cases and legal issues.
Supreme Court Lessons
These interactive lessons for high school students lead them through a simulation of an actual Supreme Court case and help them to break down complex constitutional issues. Each lesson begins with an overview of the facts of the case, followed by a brief discussion of the Supreme Court decision. Then, students are asked to take a stand “for” or “against” the majority decision. The cases that the Rendell Center has selected involve student-specific issues and/or those issues shown to be important to youth through their social media posts or active engagement.
Literature-Based Mock Trial Lessons
This literature based mock trial format provides a dynamic interactive opportunity for K-8 students to develop higher-level thinking skills, as well as gain a deeper understanding of the U.S. judicial system and constitutional principles. The Rendell Center’s Mock Trial framework is easy to follow, and its lesson plans – based on classic or classroom pieces of literature – provide teachers with the tools and guidance needed to help their class write and argue a mock trial, and actively take on the roles of defendant, lawyers, witnesses, jurors, and court officials.
American Indian Sovereignty
In this lesson, students will learn about how the U.S. Constitution defined relations between the United States and Native nations; important events in the history of American Indians’ sovereignty in the United States; and the 2020 landmark Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma in which the Court affirmed the federal government’s responsibility to honor treaty obligations.
Naturalization Ceremonies
Federal courts conduct citizenship ceremonies, which are open to the public and may be attended by hundreds and sometimes thousands of people. These important civic events, conducted in courtrooms and at sites in the community, present an educational opportunity for promoting public understanding of the federal courts. Schools may want to approach their local federal court to ask if they can volunteer as part of a service-learning project. Learn about activities that some courts bring into their ceremonies.
Second Amendment: D.C. v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago
The film “Second Amendment: D.C. v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago” examines the history of guns and gun ownership in our society from the Revolutionary War to modern times and the complicated debate over what the founders intended when they wrote the Second Amendment. Does it protect a right of individuals to keep and bear arms? Or is it a right that can be exercised only through militia organizations like the National Guard?
You Rule!
An activity where the class gets to vote on hypothetical speech cases in schools based on precedent from six real Supreme Court cases.
Right to Privacy: Griswold v. Connecticut
Despite the fact that they were written in the late 19th century, morality laws were still on the books in the United States in 1965. In Connecticut, one such law prohibited the discussion, prescription and distribution of contraception. After years of trying to get the courts to scrub this law from the books, medical providers had to find a way to get the question before the highest court in the land. It wouldn’t be easy, but in the end the case would transform our notion of privacy and the role of the Supreme Court when it comes to public law.
Renee Cramer of Drake University and Elizabeth Lane of Louisiana State are our guides.
This short episode includes a one-page Graphic Organizer for students to take notes on while listening, as well as discussion questions on the back side.
IRL 2: The Flag and the Pledge Podcast
Today, we look at Old Glory and the Pledge of Allegiance. Who created them? Why? And how have they changed over the years? Also, we look at four Supreme Court cases that altered what we can and can’t do or say when it comes to the flag and the pledge.