Supreme Decision
Tackle free speech issues in a simulated Supreme Court
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Supreme Decision
Pros: Students get an inside look into the awesome responsibility of the Supreme Court, and the game has nice detail from actual legal precedent.
Cons: A lack of depth leaves students with an incomplete idea of how the Supreme Court truly works.
Bottom Line: It's a limited but effective experience that works best for beginners who need an introduction to the work of the Supreme Court.
Since it's not very deep, it can be used as an introduction to -- but not full coverage of -- the Supreme Court, the Judicial Branch, and/or free speech. It's best as a hook, conversation starter, or accessible picture of how Constitutional issues get debated and decided. Assigning it as individual work allows students to complete the work at their own pace, while providing them with discussion forums to talk silently. After students finish the game, have them research and present on other, perhaps more contemporary issues that challenge our understandings of free speech. The class can vote on the best presentations/issues and use the top 2-3 choices as topics for in-class mock debates.
Editor's Note: Supreme Decision is no longer available.
Supreme Decision is a browser-based game that helps students understand how the Supreme Court decides cases. Students are presented with the arguments for both sides of a fictional but realistic case drawn from legal precedent, and are tested thoroughly on their understanding of the case and how different Justices interpret it. Once kids understand the case, they decide which argument they support. Their support determines the case's outcome.
Full Disclosure: iCivics and Common Sense Education share a funder; however, that relationship does not impact Common Sense Education's editorial independence and this learning rating.
With a fascinating premise and interesting content, students who have strong opinions will dive right in. What they'll find is a good introduction to free speech and how the Supreme Court works, along with solid critical thinking exercises and interesting information about an actual case (Tinker v. Des Moines). Students can provide feedback to each other while playing or work together to understand the content in more depth. They can also do this on their own, taking their time. While the Justices' arguments can be replayed, it's up to students to think critically -- or guess -- to get the right answers; there's not much contextual help.
Learning Rating
Community Rating
Good introduction for the Congressional Hearing
Good introduction for the Congressional Hearing that my students do at the end of the year. It helped them understand part of the process involved in Supreme Court decision. They wanted to hear and learn more after this lesson. It also got them thinking about the fact that you have to look at all sides of an issue, not just the possible obvious one. You definitely need to work further through the process after doing this, but it is a good start.
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