Welcome, Educator

This site is made possible by New York Life Insurance Company, the sole corporate sponsor of THE SUPREME COURT, the first major television series to explore the history and impact of the nation's highest court. The series, produced by Thirteen/WNET New York, will air on PBS on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 and Wednesday, February 7, 2007 at 9-11 PM.

Unlike other sites on the Court, this resource is teacher-authored and presents the institution's history thematically, in a way that corresponds to major thematic strands in the social studies curriculum. In addition to detailing the cases and personalities that produced the rulings that shaped (and continue to shape) so much of American life, the site also presents educators and students with new teaching strategies, lesson plans, and other elements to help students understand the workings and impact the United States Supreme Court.

Essays, images, personal histories, interactive exercises, and lessons detail the struggle for justice within the American judicial system. The site will show the Supreme Court as a place where adversaries contend regarding fundamental issues. People -- often ordinary citizens -- come before the Court to seek justice, the protective cloak of the Constitution, and the assurance of their constitutional rights.

Students today live in a landscape that has been affected by the decisions of the Supreme Court. This site will help students appreciate the grandeur of the Court and understand how the Court -- constitutionally equal to the Presidency and the Congress -- developed historically and how it works today.