**[High School Age Field Trip]{.underline}**

**[United States Courthouse, Indianapolis]{.underline}**

Total time: 2-3 hours\*

\*Please note that each of these activities can be shortened,
eliminated, or extended depending on the amount of time a group has
available to visit.

**[Orientation]{.underline}** (15 minutes)

All visits by groups to the courthouse will begin with an orientation
session. Students will be told the ground rules of the courthouse: no
running; voices must be kept down at all times; keep to one side of the
hallways; be silent when asked in order to avoid disturbing any trials
in session. The facilitator will then give general information about the
federal court system (courts in the Constitution, what a district court
is, what types of cases are heard here, how cases progress to the
Supreme Court, how many judges our district has) and a brief history of
the building (date of construction, what preceded this building, the
post office and other government agencies that have operated in the
building, etc.) These discussions will include photographs and other
images to engage the students.

**[Tour]{.underline}** (45-60 minutes)

Students will be guided on a tour of the building. Topics covered will
include more specific details on the role of the federal courts; the art
and architecture of the building; symbols that reflect justice and
government; features of courtrooms; early Indiana history; 20^th^
Century American history; and some legends and stories about the
courthouse.

**[Visit with a Judge]{.underline}** (30 minutes)

Whenever possible, students will visit with a judge in a courtroom,
depending on the judges' availability. Each judge generally chooses what
he or she will talk about, but common themes include explaining what
judges do; how one becomes a judge; what types of cases a judge hears at
the federal level; exciting or interesting cases he or she has heard;
the federal judiciary and the Constitution; the importance of good
citizenship; and jury service. Judges are also receptive to questions by
the students and enjoy engaging them in discussions. Generally speaking,
if you book your field trip well in advance, you will have a better
chance of meeting with a judge.

**[Activity/Lesson]{.underline}** (45-60 minutes)

Students will complete one of the following activities, selected by
their teacher or leader beforehand.

**[Activity 1: Students in the Federal Courts: Students' Rights and
Responsibilities]{.underline}**

A surprising number of federal court cases involve the rights of
children and students. This activity will demonstrate what rights
students have on and off school property. Terms like plaintiff,
defendant, civil rights, civil trial, and settlement will be discussed
before the activity begins.

Students will be divided into groups of 4-5. Each group will receive a
U. S. Constitution and a set of basic facts about a case involving
students' rights that was heard in the U. S. District Court for the
Southern District of Indiana or the United States Supreme Court. After
assessing the facts, students will be asked to record on a provided
sheet, in complete sentences:

1\) their guess at what the court decided;

2\) 2 reasons why the decision could have gone in favor of the
plaintiff;

3\) 2 reasons why the decision could have gone in favor of the
defendant.

3 representatives from each group will then have 2-3 minutes to tell the
rest of their class 1) the basic issue that their case was about (free
speech, freedom of religion, search and seizure, etc.); 2) what they
think the outcome was; and 3) why they think that was the outcome.

As each group presents their findings, the facilitator will reveal what
the court actually decided and why.

The activity will conclude with a group discussion on the rights and
privileges that young people have and how they can protect and exercise
those rights responsibly.

**[Activity 2: Finding a Fair and Impartial Jury]{.underline}**

This activity is a simulation of voir dire, or jury selection. The
facilitator will begin by asking the students what they know about the
jury system in the United States. The facilitator will guide this
discussion so that the students understand how juries are called in
different courts and in the Southern District of Indiana; who can serve
on a jury; various terms and vocabulary of relevance to jury selection
and service; and the importance of jury service as a civic duty.

Three students will then be assigned as defense attorneys, three as
prosecutors, and the remainder will each receive a short biography of a
prospective juror.

The attorneys for both sides will confer with their teammates as they
read a short description of the case for which they are selecting
jurors. After reading this description, the attorneys will peruse a
prepared list of thirty questions which they can ask the jurors. They
should mark the questions they think will help them find jurors most and
least favorable to their side. The attorneys will also be reminded that
it is their sworn duty to impanel a *fair and impartial jury*.

Meanwhile, the prospective jurors will take on the identities of the
name and biography they have been assigned (each prospective juror will
wear a large card around his or her neck stating name, race, gender, and
age. It will be up to the students to use the rest of the biographical
information to formulate their characters' answers to the attorneys'
questions). Some of these characters will have clear traits or
backgrounds that make them unsuitable jurors; others will have no clear
bias to either side. The prospective will be told by the judge (played
by the facilitator) some limited facts about the case: the individuals
involved (defense attorneys, prosecutors, the defendant, the judges,
etc); what type of crime was involved; the law under which the defendant
has been charged; and the type of punishment that could be meted out for
the type of crime. The students will be reminded by the judge that they
are to act and answer questions as his or her alter ego would. The
jurors will then be assembled, starting with the first twelve, in the
"jury box".

Once the prospective jurors are lined up and the attorneys for both
sides are ready to proceed, the judge will explain that each side has
four peremptory challenges (they can strike a juror for no given cause);
unlimited challenges for cause (tell the judge specifically why a person
should not serve on the jury, and have the judge rule on that challenge-
this can be done after either side has a question answered by a juror);
or can accept the juror.

The attorneys, starting with the prosecution and alternating thereafter
with the defense, will take turns asking the jurors the prepared
questions they previously looked at. Whenever a prospective juror is
struck, a new juror will file into the box. This process will continue
until twelve jurors have been agreed upon by the prosecution and the
defense.

This activity is designed to impress upon students how hard it is to
obtain an impartial jury, and to help them understand one way that a
jury can be impaneled and also give all students the chance to role
play. The activity will conclude with a discussion session, with
students analyzing the jury selection process and the objectivity of it:
whether things like race, gender, career, age, socio-economic status,
etc. influenced who was selected for the case. They will also discuss
the pluses and minuses of the American jury system and be briefly
introduced to the ways trials are handled in other nations.

**[Activity 3: Taking a Stand: Drug Testing in Schools]{.underline}**

In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled in *Board of Education, Pottawatomie
County v. Lindsay Earls, et. al* that middle and high school students
participating in extracurricular activities can legally be subjected to
random urinalysis drug testing. This activity will require students to
literally take a stand on the issue of random drug testing in schools
and conclude by teaching them about privacy and search and seizure cases
of import to students.

The activity will commence by presenting the students with this
statement: "Drug testing should be allowed in schools." One end of the
room will be designated as "Strongly in favor" and the other as
"Strongly against." Students will think for a few minutes about where
their opinion about the statement falls along the spectrum, and to come
up with two reasons why they feel the way they do.

Students will then be asked to stand at the spot along the "Strongly in
favor/Strongly against" spectrum where their opinion best fits. The
facilitator will then ask students to clarify their positions; for
example, those who are strongly in favor might be asked whether they
think everyone should be tested, or only specific groups or those who
act suspiciously. For those who are strongly against, do they feel that
no one should ever be tested, in any circumstance? Students along the
middle of the spectrum will also be asked to clarify their reasons for
being in the middle.

As students begin to delve into more specific reasoning, places along
the spectrum will be filled in with more descriptive phrases: Test
everyone; Random testing of everyone; Random testing of general
extracurricular participants; Test suspicious only; Never test.

As students begin to debate, they will be free to move their positions
along the spectrum. They will also be asked what opinion opposite theirs
they find most compelling or makes them think twice.

Students will then return to their seats, and the facilitator will teach
them about recent Supreme Court cases dealing with these issues,
explaining the legal reasoning behind the decisions and how the
decisions affect the students.

**[Indiana High School Standards]{.underline}**

**[U.S. Government]{.underline}**

USG.3.6 Explain the functions of the courts of law in the governments of
the United States and the state of Indiana with emphasis on the
principles of judicial review and an independent judiciary.

USG.3.17 Analyze and evaluate decisions by the United States Supreme
Court about the constitutional principles of separation of powers and
checks and balances in such landmark cases as *Marbury v. Madison*
(1803), *Baker v. Carr* (1962), *United States v. Nixon* (1974), *City
of Boerne, Texas v. Flores* (1997), and *Clinton v. City of New York*

USG.3.18 Analyze and evaluate decisions by the United States Supreme
Court about the constitutional principle of federalism in cases such as
*McCulloch v. Maryland* (1819), *Texas v. White* (1869), *Alden v.
Maine* (1999

USG.5.1 Explain the meaning of citizenship in the United States and
Indiana.

USG.5.2 Describe roles of citizens in Indiana and the United States,
including voting in public elections, participating in voluntary
associations of civil society to promote the common good, and
participating in political activities to influence public policy
decisions of government. (Individuals, Society, and Culture)

USG.5.3 Describe the political, personal, and economic rights of
citizens embedded in the United States Constitution and in
constitutional law developed through decisions of the United States
Supreme Court. (Economics; Individuals, Society, and Culture)

USG.5.8 Analyze and evaluate decisions about rights of individuals in
landmark cases of the United States Supreme Court, such as *Whitney v.
California* (1927), *Stromberg v. California* (1931), *Near v.
Minnesota* (1931), *Brandenburg v. Ohio* (1969), *Texas v. Johnson*
(1989), and *Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union* (1997).

USG.5.9 Evaluate, take, and defend positions on criteria used for the
attainment of the status of citizen through naturalization and research
Indiana's record in working with immigrants. (Individuals, Society, and
Culture)

USG.5.13 Practice civic skills and dispositions by participating in a
group of activities, such as simulated public hearings, mock trials, and
debates. (Individuals, Society, and Culture)

**[Language Arts]{.underline}**

12.1.2 Apply knowledge of roots and word parts from Greek and Latin to
draw inferences about the meaning of vocabulary in literature or other
subject areas.

12.2.3 Verify and clarify facts presented in several types of expository
texts by using a variety of public or historical documents, such as
government, consumer, or workplace documents, and others.

12.2.6 Critique the power, validity, and truthfulness of arguments set
forth in public documents; their appeal to both friendly and hostile
audiences; and the extent to which the arguments anticipate and address
reader concerns and counterclaims.

12.4.4 Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained and persuasive way
and support them with precise and relevant examples.

12.7.1 Summarize a speaker's purpose and point of view, discuss, and ask
questions to draw interpretations of the speaker's content and attitude
toward the subject.

PC.1.1 Summarize a speaker's purpose and point of view, discuss, and ask
questions to draw interpretations of the speaker's content and attitude
toward the subject.

SPC.1.2 Use rhetorical questions (questions asked for effect without an
expected answer), parallel structure, concrete images, figurative
language, characterization, irony, and dialogue to achieve clarity,
force, and artistic effect.

SPC.1.4 Use logical, (*ad hominem,* arguing from a personal perspective;
*ad populum,* appealing to the people) ethical, and emotional appeals
that enhance a specific tone and purpose.