The American judicial system is a thing of beauty. Barely touched on by our Founders, the federal judicial system has evolved into a complex but finely tuned system of trial courts, appeals courts, and ultimately the US Supreme Court. Teaching this beauty to students is challenging, especially if they have no interest in the law. Court videos are a way to overcome that gap. With court videos, students can learn about the courts, how they adjudicate, and what are some issues facing the courts today.
Court videos can be made to be endlessly fascinating. Take US Supreme court videos. The US Supreme Court is draped with so much history and majesty, and well constructed court videos can convey that. The Supreme Court also attracts quirky justices. For instance, retired Justice David Souter lived in a run down DC apartment, despite an income over 200,000 dollars a year. Or that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a strong woman who fought for the rights of women everywhere, and loves opera.
The best court videos can show students what the Supreme Court does. As the ultimate appeals court, court videos can show how the Supreme Court designs its own docket, takes cases with constitutional questions, and makes rulings that are always media frenzies. The best court videos can also show cases that affect the daily lives of students, such as Tinker vs Des Moines Independent Schools, or Morse vs. Frederick, which gave us the infamous phrase “bong hits for Jesus.”
Showing court videos can also teach about the lower courts as well. Students can learn about trial courts, which decide matters of fact. Students can also learn about appellate courts, which are based solely on matters of law. Finally, court videos can show students the issues facing court administration. For instance, there are many vacancies on the federal bench because the Senate refuses to confirm many justices.
Court videos can be an entertaining way to teach jurisprudence. So if you are a teacher, or want to teach your child about the courts, find adequate videos today. Hunting for them is worth the effort.
