Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's "Our Courts" web site, aimed at middle school students, has gone live with two interactive animated games that will, she hopes, engage young people in learning about and appreciating the role of courts in their daily lives. You can find the games here.
The game that engaged us the most was Supreme Decision, in which a hypothetical female swing-vote justice -- hmm, who might that be? -- asks you, the player, to help her reach a decision in a First Amendment case, Ben v. Hamilton Middle School. The dispute involves a student barred from wearing a t-shirt bearing the name of his favorite band, called "Hall of Rejects." After brief arguments on both sides, the swing justice, named Irene Waters, comes out of the Court's conference to seek research help from her law clerk -- that would be you -- on how to decide the case. You then get to listen to mini-debates between justices on each side of the issue, answer questions about their views, and then vote which side to support. The issues imbedded in the dispute are well-explained and presented in an interesting way.
The game's full court, by the way, is composed of five women and four men, and the chief justice, male, is named Zimmer. Justices Mendez and Hsu are among the nine. We won't tell you how it all ends.
The other game, Do I Have a Right?, puts players in the role of lawyers in a law firm, with new clients coming in the door with civil liberties-related issues to litigate. (How come no "dormant commerce clause" disputes, one wonders?) As relative novices with such online games, we found this one somewhat clunky, and the clients seemed to pile up in the waiting room. But maybe that's a touch of realism. Your middle-schooler might navigate it more quickly.
In a statement, O'Connor said today, "Law and government are not about abstract rules or dry facts. They are about how people use the rules and facts to get things done. Our Courts' first two games teach students how to apply the law through the eyes of a judge or a lawyer. They are fun and engaging for students, and easy to use in the classroom or at home."
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