CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES CBA
1. IDENTIFY A PUBLIC ISSUE YOU CARE ABOUT
•
Constitutional Issues
•
http://www.brookings.edu/research/commentary?topic=U.S.%20Constitutional%20Issues
•
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/home.html
•
http://constitutioncenter.org/
2. STATE YOUR POSITION ON THE ISSUE
• You may need to do some research first in order to figure out
what your position (informed opinion) is!
• Check out the resources on the CBA web page.
http://www.nkschools.org/Page/10085
3. GIVE REASONS FOR YOUR POSITION
• This is the point where you can ANALYZE the reasons for your
position Check out this website for useful analysis of issues:
•
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/home.html
4. NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO TAKE A
LOOK AT THE CONSTITUTION!
•
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html
•
•
http://constitutionus.com/
5. IDENTIFY THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE
OR IDEAL
• Is it an article of the Constitution?
• An amendment?
6. IDENTIFY THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
INDIVIDUAL RIGHT AND THE ISSUE
7. LOCATE A COURT CASE OR GOVERNMENT
POLICY THAT SPEAKS TO YOUR
CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE
• How well did the court case or government
policy uphold the constitutional principle?
• Evaluate the success (or failure) of the court
case or government policy
8. FIND THE OPPOSITE POSITION
• Not everyone agrees with your position. Your job is to find and
give a fair interpretation to a contrasting position on the issue.
• Refute, with thought and evidence, the contrasting position.