The Supreme Court closed out its 2000 term in June after issuing seventy-nine opinions and agreeing to take up more questions of interest to students and educators alike. Among the issues already slated for review after the 2001 term opens on October 1 are cases that could decide the future of affirmative action, the death penalty, and on-line pornography. Looking Back Last term was contentious for the justices, and not just because of the December decision in Bush v. Gore, No. 00-949—the case that effectively decided the 2000 presidential election. It determined both that the Florida…

Examining the recent monumental Supreme Court rulings on abortion, gun rights, and religious freedom can spark important classroom discussions on their legal, political, and social implications.   

The sixtieth anniversary of Clarence Gideon’s court case, in which the Supreme Court decided that defendants in criminal proceedings should have access to a lawyer regardless of ability to pay, provides an opportune moment for an engaging lesson on the right to public defense.

A close examination of the Constitution’s Article V could launch a fascinating classroom debate on whether a constitutional convention today could break our legislative logjams.