North Dakota Home School Association

You are invited to participate in the

Teen Supreme Court Simulation

This simulation will begin with guided home studies and
culminate with the hearing of and deciding on cases at the

2008 NDHSA Convention

Grand Forks , ND - March 14-15, 2008

Have you always wanted to learn and apply constitutional law? What about arguing a constitutional law case before a court? The Teen Supreme Court Simulation, organized by Zach Englehart (Constitutional Law student with the Biblical Concourse) and supervised by Dr. James Bartlett (Executive Director of the NDHSA) allows you to learn constitutional law, apply your position to actual legal circumstances, and practice arguing your position before a court designed to reflect the United States Supreme Court.

The purpose of this simulation is to allow homeschooled teens interested in the field of constitutional law to learn and argue with it persuasively before a court. This program also allows homeschooled teens to experience the reality of the Supreme Court’s duty to hear and decide “Cases” and “Controversies” arising under the Constitution. Cases which this simulation will be considering are either active cases which may appear before the Supreme Court or hypothetical cases authored by Zach Engelhart. Students will also learn the basics of the adversary system and how a case appears before the United States Supreme Court.

The program will consist of at least three lawyers per team. Each team will represent the plaintiff and respondent of each case presented before the Court. Once enough teens have signed-up to participate, Zach Engelhart will work with each team individually and educate them in the original understanding of the clause involved and the Supreme Court’s case law. After this has been completed, each team will be responsible for writing a brief which the justices will read and critique.

Participants will also be given reading assignments to complement and further their education in the role of the Supreme Court in American law.

If you are interested in participating in this Supreme Court Simulation, please email or call the NDHSA office@NDHSA.org or call 701-263-3727. There is a $10 fee per participant (due payable to the NDHSA by December 1 st, 2007) to cover convention space, communications, copying expenses, and organizer stipend. Zach will plan to get you oriented and started on the preparatory work in November. Of course this is an ideal home school opportunity for teens! Teens, younger children and adults are welcome to observe the Court proceedings during the corresponding workshops at the NDHSA Convention in the Alerus Center ( Grand Forks, March 14-15, 2008). Only convention registration is required for observers.

Here is a list of some of the cases that are currently being considered for the Simulation:

Abortion: Northland Family v. Cox; Planned Parenthood v. Rounds. These two cases will be consolidated so that the court may consider them together. Both cases involve constitutional challenges to abortion statutes.

Parental Rights: Whether the decision of parents to pursue home education in light of religious perspectives is a constitutional right under First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution, or whether the state has a compelling interest in prohibiting or regulating home education to ensure that its academic goals are reached.

Second Amendment: Parker v. District of Columbia-whether the District of Columbia’s hand gun ban violates the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

Fourth Amendment, First Amendment, Separation of Powers, Executive Authority: NSA v. ACLU

Establishment Clause/Free Exercise Clause: Teen Ranch v. Udow

Hate Crimes/Commerce Clause - Whether the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 is consistent with the power conferred upon Congress under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.

Habeas Corpus, Executive Authority War Powers, and Separation of Powers: Whether the Military Commissions Act of 2006 validly stripped federal court jurisdiction over habeas corpus petitions filed by foreign nationals imprisoned indefinitely at the United States Naval Stations at Guantanamo Bay; Whether Petitioners’ indefinite military imprisonment as “enemy combatant” is unlawful, requiring the grant of habeas corpus.

First Amendment, Campaign Finance: This case will involve a constitutional challenge to a campaign finance law as unconstitutional under the First Amendment and whether a controversial case should be overruled.

Standing to Sue, Jurisdiction: A taxpayer filed suit against the enforcement of a congressional act which allowed for the funding of sexually explicit material as part of public school curriculum. Plaintiffs asserted standing under Article III based on their status as federal taxpayer, asserting that they have a substantial interest in ensuring that Congress does not abuse its enumerated power to tax and spend under the Constitution by employing taxpayer funding for unconstitutional purposes. Plaintiffs contend that the Act under challenge violates the Constitution’s grant of enumerated authority and furthermore that the Act adversely affects society as a whole which in turn causes injury to them.