Fourth Amendment "Fake" Supreme Court Case Analysis

Introduce your students to the complexities of Constitutional Law with this engaging and interactive activity! Students will step into the shoes of Supreme Court Justices to analyze a fictional Fourth Amendment case. This is a fun activity when teaching about the Fourth Amendment and/or the Supreme Court.

This product has students analyze the interactions during a routine traffic stop between police officers and a citizen. The citizen alleges Fourth Amendment violations during the stop and brings the case all the way to the Supreme Court. Students then have to write an "opinion" of the Court and present to the class or submit for a grade.

The case is based on a recent Supreme Court opinion discussing Fourth Amendment Rights and unreasonable searches and seizures.

This can be done as a group or individually as a short assessment. The resource includes:

• Step-by-Step Instructions: Easy-to-follow guidelines help students navigate the case analysis process.
• Opinion Writing: A structured template assists students in organizing their thoughts and presenting a clear argument.
• Critical Thinking: Encourages students to consider multiple perspectives and develop sound critical thinking and reasoning skills.
• Note to Teacher: Includes the ruling for the actual Supreme Court case for reference.
• Classroom Ready: Printable PDF format for easy distribution and use in any classroom setting.

(This activity is not necessarily looking for a correct answer, but is looking to assess how well students understand and can analyze the language of the Fourth Amendment based on a given set of facts).

This can usually be done in one 50 minute class period.