We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and About Students - Softcover

Jamin B. Raskin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0872897613 ISBN 13: 9780872897618

Publisher: CQ Press, 2008

Synopsis

This unique reference has introduced countless students to the field of legal studies by studying Supreme Court issues that directly affect young people. For this third edition, CQ Press worked directly with educators to retain the best features of the previous editions while updating and further refining the material, including a significantly expanded treatment of Equal Protection and discrimination. The book’s freshly updated design facilitates student comprehension with new features such as legal definitions in the margin, a "Dissenting Voices" section to provide context for minority judicial opinions, new exercises, and much more.

About this title

About the Author

Jamin B. Raskin is professor of constitutional law and the First Amendment at American University Washington College of Law and founder of its Marshall-Brennan Fellows Program, which places law students in public high schools to teach the We the Students constitutional literacy course. A former assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Raskin is an active public interest lawyer, defending the rights of political expression and participation for both adults and young people. He is also the author of Overruling Democracy (2003) and dozens of law review articles, op-eds, and essays on constitutional law.

Reviews

Grade 9 Up—Teens know that the right to free speech is covered in the First Amendment—but what does that mean to them? Raskin, a constitutional law professor, puts that right, along with several others, into context, highlighting Supreme Court cases that affect students and schools. The book is organized into 10 chapters, opening with a brief overview of what the Constitution is and what it does before discussing free speech, censorship, religion, property searches, discipline, discrimination, harassment, and disabilities. Each chapter offers brief commentaries about cases that were argued before the justices and the text of the Court's decision (edited for brevity and clarity). In most instances, excerpts from the dissenting opinions follow the majority decision, presenting a balanced view of how the ruling was arrived at. Between the cases are exercises and discussion questions for students to further explore what they've learned. Sidebars provide definitions of legal terms and biographical information on some of the Supreme Court Justices. Appendixes include the full text of the Constitution and amendments and a comprehensive index. The text is well organized, easy to understand, and, most importantly, up-to-date. Raskin references decisions and incidents that occurred as recently as late 2007, illustrating how decisions of the past are being supported—or revisited—today. The writing is engaging and will spark students' curiosity about these issues. This excellent resource should be in all government classrooms.—Brandy Danner, Wilmington Memorial Library, MA
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Edition details

• Publisher: CQ Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0872897613
• ISBN 13: 9780872897618
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 352