| CHAPTER
1 What is Law? |
| Law and Values | Kinds of Laws |
| Human Rights | Our Constitutional Framework |
| Balancing Rights with Responsibilities |
Law
and Values
Our current legal system is based on values that our government and society
believe are most important to keep order and fairness in the United States.
Read about the mission and values that the U.S.
Department of Justice maintains.
Do you want to learn about other people's values and share your values? Visit the Youth in Action Network to learn background information on human rights and environmental issues, communicate with other students, and learn how to take action for your values!
Many of the most well-known organizations that fight to change or keep laws today agree on specific values. Oftentimes, these values can be very different. For example, read about the values behind two sides of free speech at the American Civil Liberties Union and compare that to Morality in the Media, Inc.
Read
the case of Regina
v. Dudley and Stephens.
![[2top]](images/ret2top.gif){kind=small}
![[2list]](images/ret2list.gif){kind=small}
Human
Rights
Read the actual text of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Remember, all members of the United
Nations have agreed to recognize and promote these basic human rights,
and the United States is a member of the UN. Click back to the Youth
in Action Network because that site has a great section on human
rights. Then, hop on the United
Nations Cyber School Bus and don't miss the Interactive
Declaration of Human Rights because it has questions and activities.
(Teachers: there are also suggestions for classroom use.)
Read the actual text of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (text, p. 9) on the Human Rights Web or at the United Nations Web site.
Read the actual text of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (text, p. 9) on the Human Rights Web or at the United Nations Web site.
To
learn more about human rights groups, activities or issues, visit the
Amnesty International
Web site or the Human
Rights USA Web site. (Teachers: Visit the Amnesty
International Web site for lesson plans, ideas and materials for
teaching human rights.)
Balancing
Rights with Responsibilities
Rights also carry with them responsibilities. As members of small and
large communities, there is a balancing
act we must perform to preserve our individual rights while respecting
the rights of others around us. Take a look at the Kitty
Genovese story (text, p.12) to read more about a citizen's
rights and responsibilities.
Did
the Human Rights sites above give you any ideas for how
to balance your rights with responsibilities? If you would like to find
more about becoming a student activist for human rights, visit Amnesty International's Youth Activism site.
There are some responsibilities we have specifically because we live in
the United States. To find out about other types of civic responsibility,
check out The
Juror's Handbook to find out what it's like to
be on a jury, and visit Political
Resources On-line get a sense of what you need to do to run
for office. Read some of the "Campaigns On-line Links" to learn
about how real candidates are trying to fulfill their civic responsibilities.
Making
sure that you are informed about the issues when you vote is a responsibility
along with the right to vote. Read about these issues on MTV's
website!
Find out what The
Civic Mind can do for you to make you a more civic-minded
citizen. Where can you go in your state to help promote civic
responsibility?
Kinds
of Laws
Remind yourself about the difference
between criminal and civil laws. See how these differences revealed themselves
in the OJ
Simpson murder cases. Visit Court
TV to read about current cases. Make a list of which
cases are civil and which are criminal. You can also learn more about
O.J. Simpson's criminal and civil cases (text, p. 13) or read legal documents
from those cases in the Court
TV Casefiles: O.J. Simpson.
Our
Constitutional Framework
Visit the National
Constitution Center to learn more about separation of powers
and checks and balances, federalism, judicial review, and individual rights. Now test your knowledge of the Constitution.
Interpreting
and applying the U.S. Constitution is complicated. There is a special
field of law, called constitutional
law, where people read the constitution and examine other documents
and ideas to figure out exactly what the constitution means to issues
and problems that weren't around when it was written over 200 years ago.
Read the independent
counsel statute (text, p. 16). To learn about both sides of the
debate over whether to renew the independent counsel statute read the
Law and Contemporary Problems Journal. Don't tell your teachers, but this
site can help you answer the questions on page 16.
Read the actual language and a brief history of the Equal
Rights Amendment (text, p. 17). What are the arguments for
and against an equal rights amendment? Why do you think the amendment
ultimately failed to become part of the Constitution?
| CHAPTER 2 Lawmaking |
| Legislatures |
| Drafting a Bill |
| Agencies |
| Courts |
Legislatures
Learn more about the two divisions of the federal legislature: the Senate
and the House
of Representatives. Read about the legislature
in your state and discover who represents you when laws are decided!
How
does congress pass laws? Read a short
or long
version on how laws are passed through Congress.
The government provides much information about the legislative
committees and individuals
that we elect to make laws. Read about these different groups. Do you
want to find out about the workings of Congress?
Would you like to read actual bills, committee reports, or congressional
statements? Visit Thomas,
as in Jefferson, the Library of Congress's Web site for legislative information.
Another great general resource for congressional information is C-SPAN.
This site helps you search for local elected officials, issues and legislation,
and other media sources.
Drafting
a Bill
Writing
a bill, or a proposed law, tells people what the law means. There is a
special process
an idea must go through before it can become a law. Learn more about how a bill becomes a law from a site designed just for young people!
Agencies
Learn more about specific federal
agencies or about your own state
agencies. Are there any agencies on these lists that you'd like
to work for?
If you want to get the latest information about federal agencies, use the Federal Register, which lists U.S. federal agency announcements and information, such as presidential documents, agency meetings, grant opportunities, and proposed federal regulations.
Learn
about OSHA,
and read about some of OSHA's
success stories. Can you think of any projects for OSHA to work
on?
Courts
Learn about federal
courts and state
courts. Read about the history
of the federal courts and some of the most important cases
that have been decided in federal courts. What are the differences between
the two systems?
For more about the court system, check out Chapter 5.
| CHAPTER 3 Citizen Advocacy |
| The Art of Advocacy |
| Lobbying |
| Voting |
The
Art of Advocacy
When you educate yourself and speak out about that issue, you can make
a difference as an advocate! Use the Internet to help with YouthAct
(text, p. 28). Learn about issues and
read the Basic
Tips for Communicating with Government Officials to find
out the nuts and bolts of how to make phone calls, write letters, and
meet with officials. Learn about the positive
differences that other young people have made through their own
advocacy projects. (Teachers: have your students choose an issue, make
a plan, and act!)
Lobbying
Know
the basics of lobbying to understand the ways lobbyists can impact
lawmakers. You can review an example of a lobbying
kit online to think about all of the ways lobbyists can reach
decision makers. Read about successful youth
lobbyists and the issues they care about.
Compare the Web sites for the National Rifle Association and The Brady Campaign. (text, p. 31). Which has the most useful information? Why? Pair up and act as lobbyists and legislators using the information and legislation posted on these sites.
Compare
the campaigns between groups that advocate
drilling for oil in the Arctic, and groups that oppose
drilling. Both of these sides lobby the government to create laws
favoring them.
Voting
Learn more about Rock
the Vote (text, p. 32). How can you encourage more
people to vote?
Do you have questions about campaign finance reform (text, p. 33)? If
you still want more information, check out the
Hoover Institution's page on campaign finance. (Teachers:
have students find out where politicians get their funding and then have
the students write proposals on how to reform campaign finance.) Find
out more information about your state's election
process.
You may also want to see where the candidates
stand on different issues. See how you compare
on an issue with other political candidates.
Learn how to teach yourself about the issues and the candidates without
being persuaded by advertisements and other tools to change a voter's
mind. Make sure you know how to look for the ideas
that matter in a campaign.
Are there any elections being held right now? Become
aware of the political issues that are happening in your
area. You
can use Project
Vote Smart to find out about particular candidates.
Who do you want to vote for? Find out what The
New Millenium Young Voter Project is doing to reconnect young
voters with the issues that matter to them.
Do
not be fooled into thinking your
vote does not count. Every person who votes is taking part in
the government and sends a message to lawmakers. Remain aware of how your
vote does matter.
| CHAPTER 4 Settling Disputes |
| Methods for Solving Disputes |
Methods
for Solving Disputes
To find out more about the art of negotiation, look at the resources on
the negotiation
resource center.
The
American Arbitration Association provides several guides
to alternative dispute resolutions.
The
Association for Conflict Resolution explains the words,
phrases, and techniques used by dispute resolution practitioners.
Federal Mediation
and Conciliation Service provides examples of alternative
methods for solving disputes in the real world. It focuses on dispute
mediation, preventive mediation, alternative dispute resolution, and arbitration
in labor-management relations.
When you have a dispute arising from on-line activity, you can find an
ombudsperson
to settle the dispute on-line.
Need help preparing for a negotiation session? Use this guide
designed for lawyers preparing for mediation or this mediation
checklist. You may have a dispute resolution program in your
school that models some methods discussed. Read about some popular
school programs, such as peer mediation.
| CHAPTER 5 The Court System |
| Trial Courts | Tribal Courts |
| Appeals Courts | The U.S Supreme Court |
| Federal and State Court Systems |
Trial
Courts
Explore some famous
trials of the 1990s. Read the transcripts and documents from
trials of the Menendez
brothers and OJ
Simpson. Read about an explanation of one of the most famous
cases of recent history, Bush
v. Gore and the resolution of the 2000 election. Read the actual
text
of the opinion to see how the Supreme Court decided this case.
The Adversary
Legal System explains the pros and cons and the purpose
of our adversary system in the context of divorce disputes.
What
is a trial? The Tennessee court provide answers to all of your
questions regarding the difference between civil and criminal trials,
who the different players in a courtroom are, and the phases of the trial
process.
Explore the justice system through the eyes of a federal prosecutor. The
Department of Justice takes you through the steps of
a trial from the initial investigation to the sentencing.
Be the judge in the case
of the spotted owl. Decide who wins--the Audubon Society
or the Forest Service.
Learn about the legal system of Europe. The
Court of Justice of the European Communities provides general
information on the activities of their legal structure.
Interested in the court of a foreign country? Cornell
University provides a list of Web sites for the courts of
countries around the world. View the legal system of countries from Switzerland
to Singapore.
Learn about the history of the law and explore the development of the
legal system through the ages.
Appeals
Courts
Understand the
federal appeals court system and learn about the judges who
sit on the federal appellate court.
Explore the state
appeals court system by learning about the appellate
court system in Virginia. Find out about the cases they hear and the judges
on the court.
You can read the case of Plessy v. Ferguson mentioned on page
51, either in short
form or in the
full text.
You can read the case of Brown v. Board of Education mentioned
on page 51 either in long
form or short
form.
Federal
and State Court Systems
Understand the differences between these two separate court
systems by reading about their structures and roles in our
judicial system.
Do you wonder what the federal courts do? Read the answers to some frequently
asked questions about the courts, judges, and jurors in the
federal system. Explore the court in your
federal circuit.
Learn about your state
court by clicking on the name of your state.
Tribal
Courts
Learn about Native
American Law and how tribal courts are part of our judicial
system. Read about why tribes have sovereign status and why Native Americans
are allowed to operate casinos.
Where do tribal courts obtain their authority? Read about Indian
Tribal Justice in the United States Code.
Take a look at the Alaskan Central Council of the Tlingit
& Haida Indian tribes. To learn more about Native Americans
and the law, look at the Alaska
Natives Justice and Law links.
Engage in a critical analysis of the differences between the judicial
sections of an Indian
nation's constitution and the United States Constitution.
The
U.S. Supreme Court
Learn about the current Supreme
Court justices. Read their biographies and explore their
participation in the cases that have been argued before them.
If you have QuickTime 3.0, take this virtual tour of the Supreme
Court (this site will be most useful to those who have a
Macintosh).
Read about the powers of the Supreme Court as outlined in Article
III of the United States Constitution.
The Legal
Information Institute's Supreme Court site provides
current news
stories and a history
of the Supreme Court, including an explanation of how the Court chooses
the cases and makes decisions as well as describing notable cases. Test
your knowledge of the Supreme Court using this quiz.
Listen to the most significant oral arguements heard before the Supreme
Court, and keep up with the cases
currently on the Supreme Court's docket. Review the calendar schedule
for the current term.
You can read the case of Gideon v. Wainwright mentioned on page
58, either in short
form or the full
text; or hear the oral
arguments.
Learn about Clarence
Gideon's road to the Supreme Court and view his original
petition.
| CHAPTER 6 Lawyers |
| When Do You Need a Lawyer? |
| How Do You Find a Lawyer? |
When
Do You Need a Lawyer?
The American
Bar Association's lawyer referral site will connect you to
someone in your state who can help you decide whether or not you need
a lawyer, and then refer you to an appropriate lawyer or community agency.
Are you a legal consumer who needs help? This consumer
Web site will help you determine if you need a lawyer and if so, what
you should consider and the questions to ask when deciding which lawyer
to hire. It will also provide advice about self-representation.
Most state bar associations can help you decide if you need a lawyer and
help you find the right one. We recommend the Kansas
and California
bar associations for an overview of the services state bar associations
can provide.
How
Do You Find a Lawyer?
Need help finding a lawyer? The National
Attorney Referral Service can help you find the lawyer you
need. The American
Bar Association and Martindale Hubbard can also help you
locate a lawyer through their nationwide listing of lawyers.
Do you need a lawyer for a civil case? The American
Bar Association can provide you with a listing of free legal
services for civil cases in each state.
You can read the case of Bates v. State Bar of Arizona mentioned
on page 63, either in short
form or the full
text; or hear the oral
arguments.
Compare and contrast the advertisements of two lawyers, one from Pennsylvania and
the other from California.
What are the lawyers' areas of expertise? What are the differences between
the advertisements? Is one more effective than the other? Do the ads provide
disclaimers, reminding you that the advertisements are not legal advice?
What promises of an outcome, if any, are made in the ads?
Cases
and Resources
UNIT 1 |UNIT 2
|UNIT 3 |UNIT 4
|UNIT 5 |UNIT 6
CH1 |CH2
|CH3 |CH4
|CH5 |CH6
|CH7 |CH8
|CH9 |CH10
|CH11 |CH12
|CH13 |CH14
|CH15 |CH16
|CH17 |CH18
|CH19 |CH20
|CH21 |CH22
|CH23 |CH24
|CH25 |CH26
|CH27 |CH28
|CH29 |CH30
|CH31 |CH32
|CH33 |CH34
|CH35 |CH36
|CH37 |CH38
|CH39 |CH40
|CH41 |CH42
|CH43 |CH44
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Last Modified: February 28, 2001