With the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election rapidly approaching, Street Law has assembled its top resources related to teaching about voting, elections, and the presidency.
SCOTUS Cases
- Baker v. Carr (1962): Do federal courts have the power to decide cases about the apportionment of population into state legislative districts?
- Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021): Does Arizona’s out-of-precinct policy violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act? Does Arizona’s ballot-collection law violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act or the 15th Amendment?
- Gill v. Whitford (2018): Did the plaintiffs in this case have standing to bring their statewide partisan gerrymandering claims and, if so, could the court consider those claims?
- Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky (2018): Does a Minnesota statute that broadly bans all political apparel at polling places violate the First Amendment?
- Rucho v. Common Cause (2019): Do Common Cause and the League of Women Voters of North Carolina (the plaintiffs) have constitutional standing to make these partisan gerrymandering challenges? Are the plaintiffs’ partisan gerrymandering claims able to be heard by the Court? If plaintiffs have standing and their claims are justiciable, is North Carolina’s 2016 congressional map an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander?
- Shaw v. Reno (1993): Did the North Carolina residents’ claim that the 1990 redistricting plan discriminated on the basis of race raise a valid constitutional issue under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause?
- Shelby County v. Holder (2013): Did Congress’s decision in 2006 to reauthorize Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act exceed its authority to regulate voting?
Deliberations
- Voter Photo ID Requirements Deliberation (HS): Should our state require photo ID for in-person voting?
- Stricter Voting Regulations Deliberation (HS): Should our state enact stricter voting regulations?
- Compulsory Voting Deliberation (ES, MS, HS): Should voting be compulsory in the United States?
Other Activities/Resources
- Redistricting and Gerrymandering Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students will learn how state legislatures and governors can manipulate the redistricting process to gain an advantage for their party in the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures.
- Suffrage Timeline and Accompanying Inquiry Packs: Explore the history of U.S. voting rights, from its early influences to constitutional amendments and landmark Supreme Court cases using primary sources.
- Who Should Be Able to Vote? Voting Requirements Past, Present, and Future
- The Right to Vote for All: Residents of the District of Columbia
- The Power to Make the Rules: Federalism and Voting Rights
- The Missing Right?: The Explicit Right to Vote and the Constitution
- A Victory for All?: Inclusion and Exclusion in the Women’s Suffrage Movement
- Reconstruction and Suffrage
- Voting Procedures Reform: State Legislative Hearing Simulation: In this lesson, students simulate a state legislative hearing, taking on the role of state senators analyzing and debating proposed voting procedure reform plans.
SCOTUS Cases
- Colorado Department of State v. Baca (2020): 1) Is Colorado’s law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in Colorado an unconstitutional violation of the 12th Amendment? 2) Does a presidential elector have a constitutionally protected right to exercise discretion, which would give them standing to sue the state, if they are prevented by state law from casting their electoral vote of choice?
- Trump v. Anderson (2024): Did the Colorado Supreme Court err in ordering the exclusion of former President Donald J. Trump from the 2024 presidential primary ballot?
Deliberations
- Electoral College Deliberation (HS): Should the Electoral College be abolished?
- Political Representation (HS): Should democracies enact laws that require their political representation to match their gender, racial, and ethnic composition?
Other Activities/Resources
- Road to Inauguration Day Timeline: What happens between voting and the oath of office? This resource distills key facts and dates into a one-page timeline graphic.
SCOTUS Cases
- Citizens United v. FEC (2010): Does a law (BCRA) that places limitations on the ability of corporations and labor unions to spend their own money to advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate violate the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech?
- FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life (2007): Can the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act restrict issue ads from airing months before an election?
- McCutcheon v. FEC (2014): Do federal limits on aggregate contributions to political committees and candidates violate the First Amendment?
- Randall v. Sorrell (2006): Do Vermont’s limits on campaign contributions and spending violate the First Amendment?
- Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar (2015): Does a law that prohibits candidates for judicial office from personally asking for campaign funds violate the First Amendment?
Webinar: Teaching About the Trump v. U.S. Decision
In this webinar, we joined some experts to take a deep dive into the recent Trump v. United States decision and explore resources to help you teach about the case.
SCOTUS Cases
- Trump v. Hawaii (2018): Does the September 2017 executive action banning travel to the United States by nationals of several named countries violate federal immigration laws set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act? Does the September 2017 executive action violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?
- Trump v. United States (2024): Does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office, and if so, to what extent?
- United States v. Nixon (1974): Does the president have an absolute right to withhold certain information based on “executive privilege?”
- United States v. Texas (2016): Does President Obama’s executive action to establish DAPA violate the Take Care Clause of the Constitution?
Deliberations
- Presidential Powers (MS): Should Congress set new limits on the president’s powers during times of national emergency?
Other Activities/Resources
- Presidential Powers Timeline and Accompanying Inquiry Packs: Explore the shifting powers of the chief executive throughout history using primary sources.
- War Powers: Socratic Seminar Resource Set (HS): This resource provides educators with instructions and student materials for facilitating a Socratic Seminar on the topic of war powers.
