Grade 7 (Tim)

Seventh grade students recently finished a unit on the judicial branch. They are now working on their landmark Supreme Court case essays. Students are tasked with describing the events that led up to the case, the arguments made in court, the Supreme Court’s decision, and the lasting impact of that decision. Here are the cases students chose:

• Bethel School District v. Fraser, which was a case that limited some student free speech in school if it interfered with the learning environment.

• Brown v. Board of Education, which was the famous case that ended school segregation by race.

• Citizens United v. FEC, which was a recent case that ruled that limiting corporations’ and unions’ political contributions are a violation of their First Amendment rights.

• EEOC v. Abercrombie and Fitch. This case expanded protection of individuals against religious discrimination in hiring practices.

• Harris Funeral Home v. EEOC, which ruled that employees cannot be fired by employers based on being trangsgender.

• Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. This was another case that limited students’ First Amendment rights in schools, giving schools editorial control over school newspapers.

• In re Gault, which was a case that guaranteed that juveniles accused of crimes have similar due process rights as adults in legal proceedings.

• Kent v. United States. This case put up safeguards for juveniles who are tried as adults for serious crimes.

• Korematsu v. United States: This case, which is widely criticized today, upheld the government’s decision to imprison Japanese Americans during World War II.

• Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado: In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that businesses can refuse service to others based on the business owner's religious beliefs. In this case, a business refused to make a wedding cake : to a same-sex couple.

• Miranda v. Arizona: This famous case gave us the “Miranda rights,” where police must inform a person they arrest with several constitutional rights, including the Fifth Amendment’s right to remain silent.

• Obergefell v. Hodges, which was a case that guaranteed the right for two people of the same gender to marry.

• Texas v. Johnson, which stated that symbolic free speech, such as setting the American flag on fire in protest, is protected free speech, guaranteed by the First Amendment.

• Tinker v. Des Moines: This landmark case guarantees some First Amendment rights to students in public schools, as long as it does not interrupt the learning environment. The case centered around students who chose to wear black armbands protesting the Vietnam War.

• United States v. Nixon: This famous landmark case limited a president’s claim of “executive privilege,” and reaffirmed that no one should be above the law.
• United States v. Wong Kim Ark: This case from the late 1800s reaffirmed the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship.