Sunday, October 03, 2010

U.S. Supreme Court cases "lite"or "up close and personal"

Duke University Law School has recently put online Voices of American Law -  "materials to assist in studying the Supreme Court and its role in American society". It is a project of Thomas Metzloff, a law professor there who teaches a course entitled Distinctive Aspects of U.S. Law for international students
The website includes a selection of 18 relatively recent U.S. Supreme Court cases. Each case presentation includes a short (1-2 min) introductory video (trailer) and one or more longer videos featuring interviews with the parties themselves, their lawyers, and judges and others involved in the case. There are also links to court documents and opinions and further information.  Lesson plans are also proposed as well as an "edited" version of the Supreme Court opinion. Topics include punitive damages, abortion, discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation, election finance, religious freedom, the interstate commerce clause, property and privacy rights.   You can watch the videos online or purchase them ($35 each).