Street Law: A Course in Practical Law

Web Resources

Annenberg Classroom
This site contains numerous free educational videos, articles, and lesson plans generated by classroom teachers on a variety of topics including the Constitution, government, history, current events, elections, and technology. Teachers are encouraged to submit lessons for their contest.

CNN.com/crime
"In Session" on CNN.com/crime covers crime and justice in the United States and around the world. This site contains video highlights of current trials and an in-session blog called "Sidebar" that reports on today's headline legal news.

The Constitution Center
The Web site has a constitutional time line and an interactive constitution that can be explored section by section. It also has resources for educators.

The Constitutional Rights Foundation and The Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago
These two sites include online lessons on topics including school violence, impeachment, elections, America's response to terrorism, the war in Iraq, immigration, and disproportionate minority contact in the justice system. There are also lessons on the Bill of Rights and lessons in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. Students and teachers can also sign up to receive the CRF newsletter at no charge.

Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index
This link connects you to the largest collection of newspaper editorial cartoons on the Web. The entirely kid-safe cartoons may be reproduced for classroom use without permission and are regularly updated.

Cases Made Simple
This blog is geared toward updating the general public about goings-on of the U.S. Supreme Court. There are "plain English" descriptions of current Supreme Court cases. The site also includes commentary from legal scholars about the impact of the decisions.

FindLaw
FindLaw is a comprehensive guide to legal information for legal professionals, businesses, and the general public. The section called "Learn About the Law" has extensive materials on virtually every topic in the Street Law text. Embedded in the site is the Supreme Court Center. This portion of the site has extensive information on cases from the current term of the Court as well as the past several terms. The "Court Docket" presents the cases by oral argument date and includes links to lower court decisions, oral argument transcripts, and many of the briefs—including amicus briefs. The site also has a searchable database of U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1893.

First Amendment Center
This site provides research on First Amendment issues, cases, news, and commentary.  The lesson plans contain a section on key concepts, first principles, links to relevant cases, detailed plans with supplemental material, links to additional resources, and enrichment activities. All of the materials can be adjusted for a variety of levels and learning styles.

The Internet Law Library
Originally developed by the House of Representatives to provide free public access to the basic documents of U.S. law, this site contains links to federal law, state laws, treaties, and international law, as well as to a legal dictionary.

The Internet Public Library
This site is invaluable for conducting research. One feature is its link to newspapers around the world. The list specifies which papers are also available in English. Using these papers, students can learn how people around the world view global issues as well as events and decisions made in the United States.

Jurist Legal Education Network
The University of Pittsburgh Law School has developed the best site for keeping abreast of legal news. The articles offered at the site are updated several times each day. A unique feature includes legal news from around the world.

Justice Learning
Use this site to access materials from NPR's "Justice Talking" radio shows, which present current law-related issues in a pro/con format. Past shows are archived at the site. You can also access related print materials at the New York Times Learning Network from this site.

Law for Kids
This site, developed by Arizona's law-related education program, has a wealth of resources for teachers and students, including cartoons, games, and online tours. The entire site is also available in Spanish.

The Learning Network (NY Times)
This site includes a list of comprehensive lesson plans using New York Times articles to explore current topics in the news—gun control, First Amendment issues, censorship, and more. The topics are arranged chronologically, with the most recent appearing first. 

The Legal Information Institute
Cornell Law School's award-winning Web site spotlights cases argued in the Supreme Court of the United States in the current month, the current orders list from the Court, a summary of the term's decisions, a link to the Court's rules and to the Court's Web site, as well as links to other sites with information about the Court. The Legal Information Institute also has a summary of current key cases from the U.S. courts of appeals and state supreme courts, a legal ethics library (useful with Chapter 6 of Street Law ), a section with decisions of the International Court of Justice, and legal materials from countries on every continent. There are extensive materials on the Amistad case.

The Library of Congress
In addition to reading about the history of lawmaking, students and teachers can use this site to track bills that are under consideration as well as the step-by-step history of bills that have become law and have failed to pass. 

The National Archives
This site contains a number of links—exhibits of important documents, congressional records, and even links to presidential libraries. The "Our Documents" link contains 100 milestone documents in American history, including documents, treaties, and court cases. Each milestone document contains a brief synopsis and links to the document and other sources, and some contain suggested lesson ideas. There is also a link to the Digital Classroom, which has lesson plans for teaching with documents.

Nolo
Nolo's Self-Help Law Center gives you a rundown on the legal topics that individuals are most likely to want to know about, such as consumer law, landlord/tenant law, and family law. This practical, easy-to-use site is designed for persons without legal training. If you are playing in a band, dealing with a noisy neighbor, starting a small business, or making a will, you will benefit from the practical tips Nolo offers. Much of the Nolo information is also available in books sold through Nolo's Law Store online.

Oyez
Northwestern Law School's Web site is best known for featuring oral arguments of U.S. Supreme Court cases. The site also includes a virtual tour of the Court, information about the justices, and a feature that categorizes past decisions by topic.

Picturing Justice
Picturing Justice is an online journal containing archived editorials about law and popular culture. This site features articles on recent law-related movies and television programs.

Public Agenda
This site is a nonpartisan, nonprofit source for information and research about current policy issues.

Scotusblog
A very thorough blog about the Supreme Court of the United States, this site is updated daily with the latest information about the Court and its cases. The site also maintains an encyclopedia of current-term case materials.

Federal Agencies and Courts
Find Web sites for federal agencies at www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml. Court Web sites can be found at www.uscourts.gov.

Landmark Cases
Co-written by Street Law, Inc., and the Supreme Court Historical Society, this site provides learning materials for U.S. Supreme Court cases most often mentioned in state social studies content standards. Materials include background reading, activities, and links to oral arguments and opinions.

The Supreme Court of the United States
The official Web site for the United States Supreme Court includes a calendar and schedule for the current term, how to visit the Court, oral arguments, an overview of the Court's procedures, and biographies of justices.

U.S. Supreme Court Case Tracker
This Web site provides news and information on cases from the current term. There is also a section of the site listing certiorari petitions granted.