For many years, Constitutional Rights Foundation has offered exciting, interactive publications and programs for teaching about law and the courts.

New: 3rd Annual First Amendment Cartoon Contest

The theme of this year’s contest is Free Expression through the “rights of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” These rights are particularly significant in this an era of protest both in the United States and around the world. Learn more about the contest.

Publications

Bill of Rights in Action Free online lessons from CRF’s quarterly curricular newsletter. The archive goes back almost 20 years with lessons on U.S. and world history, legal issues, and current issues. It includes articles on An Independent Judiciary, Voters and Judges, FDR Tries to “Pack” the Supreme Court, and hundreds of others.

Landmarks: Supreme Court Cases A text and curriculum on historic decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court from Marbury v. Madison to Bush v. Gore.

Criminal Justice in America The most interactive and complete text and curriculum available on the entire criminal justice system, including the courts.

Mock Trial Case Packets  An archive of fully developed, interesting cases.

The Development of Law Series. Texts and curriculum on the history of law from ancient times to the present.

Of Codes & Crowns: From the Ancient World to the Renaissance 
Of Democrats & Dictators: From Elizabethan England to the Modern Age

Constitution & Bill of Rights PowerPoint presentations with interactive strategies.

• An Introduction: The development of the Constitution and Bill of Rights with a popular activity, “A Visitor From Outer Space.”
• Equal Protection: The key concepts of the 14th Amendment along with a moot-court activity on Gratz v. Bollinger, a Supreme Court case on affirmative action.
• Free Expression: An overview of the First Amendment concepts concluding with a moot-court activity on Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, a Supreme Court case on censorship of school newspapers.
• Due Process, Volume 1: An introduction to due process concluding a moot-court activity on California v. Greenwood, a Supreme Court case on search and seizure.
• Due Process, Volume 2: A further introduction to due process concluding with a moot-court activity on Chicago v. Morales, a Supreme Court case involving a gang ordinance.

Sha-Law-Law: Justice, the Courts, and You (DVD). This video and lessons and designed to give students a basic introduction to the way in whic society handles conflicts through the use of the justice system (Civil, Criminal, and Juvenile).

Programs

Judges, Courts, and the Law

Mock Trial Competition

Appellate Court Experience

Courtroom to Classroom