Test

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Find below study aids to assist you in studying for the unit exam, which will be administered Wednesday, February 25.  Familiarize yourself with the role and development of the U.S. Supreme Court, and review the vocabulary on your crossword puzzle.

Notes: Federal and Pennsylvania courts (PDF, 204 kb)
Chapter 11 vocab crossword (link)
Tracking a Supreme Court case assignment (PDF, 18 kb)
Suing Skull and Bones (handout PDF, 19 kb) (article) 
Criminal justice system flowchart (link) 

Test prep hints:

• Download the notes and memorize the charts on pages nine and eleven.  They’re both on the test.
• Know what the Supreme Court does.  That’s a short essay question on this exam.
• Be able to differentiate between federal and state cases.  There’s a section on the exam where you have to pick which court would hear certain cases.

In-class guided reading assignment (PDF, 32 kb)

PG article: Law ties DA’s hands over jailing of juvenile in homicide (link)
Fox News: DA: No Choice But to Charge Boy Murder Suspect as an Adult (link) 
Fox News: Warden: 11-Year-Old Murder Suspect Can’t Stay in Jail (link)
Due process (light): usconstitution.net (link)
Due process (heavy): Cornell Law’s Legal Information Institute (link)

This one’s from YouTube, so you can only see it outside the school filter:

Chapter 11 crossword (PDF, 95 kb)

Here’s the word bank for the Chapter 11 crossword:

(more…)

In felony cases, 24 out 25 defendants do not go to trial. In class, we’ve watched an episode of PBS’ Frontline called “The Plea,” which details the hard road that lawyers seldom describe when offering the easy way out.

Find below a viewing guide — which you can turn in for five bonus points — plus a link to PBS’ exceptional website for the program, where you can watch the episode for free, read court transcripts, and find more information on the parties involved.

If you missed any day (or part of any day), I highly recommend that you watch the part(s) you missed, as you will be tested on this material.

The Plea: Viewing Guide (PDF, 13 kb)
PBS Frontline | The Plea (link)

Here is the convoluted masterpiece: a flow chart that shows the intricate workings of the American criminal justice system.

We will be using this several times a week to interpret legal issues, from fictitious cases to our weekly analysis of law in the news.

It is imperative that you understand this chart. If you have any questions, you know where to find me.

Criminal justice system worksheet (PDF, 42 kb)
Overhead of completed CJS chart (PDF, 78 kb)

George Washington’s farewell address (PDF, 1.0 mb)

Nice job finding the bonus assignment.

For this assignment, you’ll need to read excerpts from Washington’s final speech as president in 1796, and answer the questions on the worksheet.

This assignment is worth up to six bonus points and expires at the end of school Friday, February 26, 2010.

Chapter 10 vocab crossword (PDF, 34 kb)