Supreme Court
TeachableMoment
August 21, 2018
Photo: Teachers and their allies picket outside the Milwaukee Public School headquarters in April 2018, demanding better school funding. Photo by Charles Edward Miller.
To the Teacher
Over the…
TeachableMoment
July 12, 2018
To the Teacher
On June 27, 2018, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the nation’s highest court. Less than two weeks later, President Trump put forward his nomination…
TeachableMoment
February 15, 2016
Ask students if they have heard about the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on February 13, 2016. What do they know about Justice Scalia and about the controversy that has ensued…
TeachableMoment
July 23, 2011
To the Teacher:
This is a teachable moment for study and discussion of the First Amendment and the religiously tinged politics of our time. The Supreme Court's decision banning public funding for…
TeachableMoment
January 27, 2010
To the Teacher:
On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that it violates the Constitution to treat corporations and unions differently from individuals on spending for political speech. The…
TeachableMoment
July 8, 2009
To the Teacher:
The case of Savana Redding's strip search made headlines around the country and raises questions about school drug policies. The first student reading below provides the major…
TeachableMoment
June 24, 2009
To the Teacher:
President Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has, predictably, generated controversy. One source of it is her remark that she would hope that a "wise…
TeachableMoment
June 25, 2008
To the Teacher:
The Supreme Court decision granting habeas corpus rights to Guantanamo prisoners offers a teachable moment for helping students understand the importance of those rights and why…
TeachableMoment
June 4, 2008
To the Teacher
The selection of nominees to the Supreme Court is one of a president's most consequential actions and often one of the most controversial. The three student readings below include: 1…
TeachableMoment
October 10, 2007
To the Teacher:
What constitutes racial discrimination in our schools? The Supreme Court considered competing answers to this question in its June 2007 ruling. The student readings below examine the…