Scotus cases for Mock Trial

[madviking]

I co-run the mock trial club at my school and I was wondering if you guys had any fun (real loose term there), not-down-the-beaten-path cases to debate?

Just as an overview, we've done cases such as:
- Mapp v. Ohio
- Heller v. D.C.
- Brandenburg v. Ohio
- The Boy Scouts case
- Katz v. U.S.
- Harmelin v. Michigan
- Some more

 

[Cutlass]

Bong Hits for Jesus.

 

[Karalysia]

Gonzales v. Raich

 

[Plotinus]

What on earth has this to do with Scotus?

 

[madviking]

Scotus = Supreme Court of the United Sates

Our mock trial club does Supreme Court cases.

 

[Plotinus]

Ah. I think that's SCOTUS.

Scotus is a person!

 

[madviking]

Oh, didn't know that.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I assume you are recreating the appellate case? Some of them have been so ingrained into our mindset as a given that it's hard to make the argument for the state in some of them. Mapp v. Ohio is a good example. No one is arguing against the exclusionary rule applying to the states these days.

Recent cases are interesting, although often more controversial. I had a debate over Boumedienne v. Bush (GITMO case) two years ago. Basically, we had to rule on it before the Supreme Court even made up their mind. In the end, the class voted to uphold the government's power and I issued an angry dissent. Turns out that my dissent was in line with the majority.

I'd recommend looking at the SCOTUSblog and seeing any new cases that look interesting. Certainly, gun cases, detainee cases, and free speech cases are always prevalent and there will be important ones for this court to decide. Pick a case that has been argued, so you can hear their arguments (oyez is a good website there), but no opinion has been issued. Makes for an interesting challenge.

 

[GoodGame]

That one in California from the 1970s about displaying porn/or selling it or something. I think it tried for censorship by reasonable person standard.