Introduction
The websites of the federal courts and other organizations contain extensive historical and current information about the U.S. Constitution, federal judges, and the federal court system.
Many also provide calendars for court civics education events and programs, teaching materials, and court contact information.
The list that follows is not comprehensive but instead gives teachers a sample of what is available.
Featured resources:
| Middle District of Florida | Community Outreach | Adult education, civics ceremonies, courthouse visits, reenactments of historic cases, school field trips, speakers, contests, summer student events |
| Southern District of Florida | Community and Educational Outreach | Adult and student education resources and lesson plans for civics education, summer student programs, naturalization ceremonies, Law Day, Constitution Day, and Legal Up! Events, video links |
About the United States Constitution
| America's Founding Documents | View at the National Archives site, includes the U.S. Constitution |
| ConSource | Historical sources related to the creation, ratification, and amendment of the U.S. Constitution |
| Educational Activities | Several lesson plans on U.S. Constitutional Amendments and other civics topics |
| Interactive Constitution | Explore the U.S. Constitution and what it means today, from the National Constitution Center |
About the Federal Judiciary
Civic Education About the Courts Federal Judicial Center Site - links below are to pages on the site
| Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges | Database of facts for each judge starts with judges appointed in 1789: judicial service, education, and professional career |
| Courts and Jurisdiction | Historical perspectives |
| Inside the Federal Courts | Program materials designed to educate judiciary employees can also be used to educate students and the media |
| Research About the Courts | Reports and studies written by FJC staff cover various topics and there is an Integrated Database that covers cases since 1970 |
| State and Federal Jurisdiction | Video explains court structure and why some cases are heard in federal courts while others are heard in state courts |
| Talking Points on Judicial History | Learning module that includes a presentation, discussion questions, historical documents, and more plus links to two other modules |
| Teaching Famous Federal Trials | Seventeen modules include case information, PowerPoint lectures, and student handouts |
United States Courts U.S. Courts Site - links below are to pages on the site
| About the U.S. Courts of Appeals | Discusses how the federal appellate courts which sit between the district courts and the U.S. Supreme Court have a special role in justice |
| Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions | Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions is a national initiative of the federal courts that brings high school and college students into federal courthouses for legal proceedings that arise from situations in which law-abiding young people can find themselves; includes many resources for courts and teachers interested in running the program. |
| Comparing Federal and State Courts | Offers an overview of federalism and shows how the federal and state court systems run parallel to each other as they facilitate justice |
| Court Role and Structure | Explains the multi-level federal judicial system |
| Educational Activities | Created for teachers to assist with creating lesson plans with a focus on U.S. Constitutional Amendments, Civil Discourse, and Financial Literacy |
| Federal Courts Civics Education and Courtroom Programs | Short videos on topics like separation of powers, the rule of law, and aspects of the judicial system |
| Find Your Circuit | A map showing the circuits and and the states and territories that comprise them |
| Pathways to the Bench | Video series where sitting federal judges discuss the career paths that led them to their current positions in the Federal Judiciary |
| Supreme Court Landmarks | A look at a few famous U.S. Supreme Court cases that have had significant impacts on the daily lives of Americans |
| U.S. Courts of Appeals and Their Impact on Your Life | Includes several activities that teachers can use to educate students on civics issues |
Local Programs and Resources Created By Federal Courts Around the Country
First Circuit: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island
| First Circuit and District of Massachusetts | Discovering Justice | Civic and justice education through innovative in-school, after-school, and courthouse field trip programs that teach elementary and middle school students about the justice system, the role of law in a democratic society, and the fundamental importance of good citizenship |
| District of New Hampshire | Educational Outreach | Naturalization & Civics Day, ceremonies, You Be the Judge Program, remote school visits |
Second Circuit: Connecticut, New York, Vermont
| Second Circuit | Justice for All | Field trips, moot courts and mock trials, student library labs, educational resources for teachers, essay contests, and a speakers bureau |
| District of Connecticut | Public Outreach | Interactive learning sessions, contests, career day, meet a judge, posters, videos, handouts, learning materials, mock hearings and trials |
| Northern District of New York | Court Outreach Program | Law Day, mock trials, naturalization ceremonies, reenactments of historical cases, tours, judge led virtual discussions, attend court proceedings |
Third Circuit: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, U.S. Virgin Islands
| District of Delaware | Community Outreach Events | Judge chats, mock trials, high school fellowship program |
| Western District of Pennsylvania | Community Outreach | Rule of Law Essay Contest, in person and virtual tours, educational programs, civics resource links, notable cases |
Fourth Circuit: North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia
| Fourth Circuit | Courts4Civics | Links to listen to oral arguments, civics information, essay contests, history, court map |
Fifth Circuit: Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas
| Eastern District of Louisiana | Outreach | Links to law related education, naturalization ceremonies, Women's History Month, African American History Month, and Asian American Pacific Islander History Month celebrations |
| Eastern District of Texas | Outreach | Beaumont Law Day Art Contest |
| Northern District of Texas | Educator and Student Resources | Links to resources from other sites |
Sixth Circuit: Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee
| Sixth Circuit | Connections | Public website with teacher and student resources, information about the federal courts, and descriptions of court civics programs |
| Southern District of Ohio | Civics Education and Community Outreach | Special teachers section, judiciary information resources and links, tours, speakers, Constitution Day and Law Day activities |
| Eastern District of Tennessee | Connections Outreach Program | Learning materials, event schedules, court news, and contact information for court civics programs |
| Western District of Tennessee | Civics Education and Community Outreach | Teachers Law School, Teen Discourse and Decisions |
Seventh Circuit: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin
| Northern District of Illinois | Civics Education | Court visits, field trips, judges in the community, court history museum |
| Southern District of Indiana | Educational Resources | Teacher institute and lesson plans, Bill of Rights Day program, a YouTube Channel, on-site and virtual tours, field trips, and activities |
| Eastern District of Wisconsin | Community and Educational Outreach | Kids, Courts, and Citizenship Program, Summer Youth Institute, mentoring and internship programs, links to resources for teachers, students, and parents |
Eighth Circuit: Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota
| Eighth Circuit and Eastern District of Missouri | Judicial Learning Center | Exhibits, court visits, summer Boy Scout and Girl Scout Programs, art contest, teacher institute, mock trials |
| District of Minnesota | Court Outreach and Events | Student visits, educational programs, courthouse tours, observing or hosting naturalization ceremonies |
| District of Minnesota | Justice & Democracy Center | Educational resources, including lesson plans, can be found here along with information regarding students visiting the center |
Ninth Circuit: Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington
| Eastern District of California | Open Doors | March mock trial program for high school students |
| Southern District of California | The Learning Center | Contests, walking tours, civics information, videos, community resources |
| District Court of Guam | Civics and Legal Education Initiatives | Law Day and other events |
| Eastern District of Washington | Civics Education | Webinars, teacher resources, Bill of Rights Photography Contest |
| Western District of Washington | Tools for Students and Teachers | Judicial Institute for Teachers, educational resources, a legal terms glossary |
Tenth Circuit: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming
| Tenth Circuit | Public Education | Courthouse tours and information |
Eleventh Circuit: Alabama, Florida, Georgia
| Middle District of Florida | Community Outreach | Adult education, civics ceremonies, courthouse visits, reenactments of historic cases, school field trips, speakers, contests, summer student events |
| Southern District of Florida | Community and Educational Outreach | Adult and student education resources and lesson plans for civics education, summer student programs, naturalization ceremonies, Law Day, Constitution Day, and Legal Up! Events, video links |
Federal Circuit in D.C.
| Federal Circuit | Civic Education and Outreach | Resources for teachers, students, and court history |
| D.C. Circuit | Information on the Federal Judiciary | Links to resources |
U.S. Courthouse Exhibits
Courthouses throughout the country have installed displays and exhibits on court history, famous cases, and federal judges. Below is a list of just a few. Call or visit your local courthouse or contact us to learn more about local exhibits.
| District of Columbia Circuit | Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse Great Hall Exhibition |
| First Circuit | District of New Hampshire Virtual Tour of Courthouse Exhibits |
| Third Circuit | District of Puerto Rico Historical Flag Project |
| Third Circuit | Philadelphia Courthouse Judicial Independence Exhibit |
| Eighth Circuit | Western District of Missouri Bell Room Historical Gallery |
| Ninth Circuit | |
| Eleventh Circuit |
Civics Education Resources and Tools Created By Other Organizations
| Atlanta History Center | The Atlanta Historical Society was founded in 1926 to preserve and study Atlanta history. In 1990, after decades of collecting, researching, and publishing information about Atlanta and the surrounding area, the organization officially became Atlanta History Center. |
| Federal Bar Association's Civics Education Resources | Information about the collaboration with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the Justice for All Initiative; activities for groups, and resources for elementary school students; other Federal Bar Association activities can be found on these sites: Minnesota Chapter's Court Camp, New Orleans Chapter's Justice Camp, Southern Florida Chapter's Community Involvement |
| Federal Judges Association, Federal Magistrate Judges Association, and National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges Civic Education | Intended for judges and speakers, but useful for teachers as well because it includes Federal Judges Association Additional Civics Education Resources |
| Freedom Plane National Tour | Reserve your tickets to see historical documents. The Atlanta stop will be from March 27 through April 12. But there are eight stops in all, so check for a city near you. |
| iCivics | Founded and led by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics provides students with the tools they need for active participation and democratic action, and teachers with the materials and support to achieve this; free resources include print-and-go lesson plans, award-winning games, and digital interactives |
| Library of Congress | Digital Resources contains thousands of maps and photographs in the public domain while Chronicling America provides historical newspapers; In Custodia Legis is their blog covering historical topics and figures |
| Smithsonian Learning Lab | The Lab is a free, interactive platform for discovering millions of authentic digital resources, creating content with online tools, and sharing in the Smithsonian's expansive community of knowledge and learning. |
| Story Map JS | Northwestern University's Knight Lab open source tool helps you tell stories on the web using maps to show a series of events |
| TimelineJS | Northwestern University's Knight Lab open source tool that enables users to build visually rich, interactive timelines from a Google spreadsheet |
| U.S. Voting Laws and Legislation Center | Tracks voting laws at the state level and covers all 50 states; can be useful for seeing what is currently in place for a particular state as well as what has been recently proposed in the state's legislature |
Financial Education
While the following sites aren't focused on court civics education, they do have resources for another important topic, financial literacy. The Federal Bankruptcy Courts are in place to serve those who experience serious trouble with their finances and recognize that having financial literacy skills would help many avoid such hardship. Teachers who want to help prepare students for the financial challenges they will encounter as adults may find the following resources helpful.
| Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy | Resources to prepare youth for life-long financial success |
| My Money | Resources about personal financial management from the Financial Literacy and Education Commission |
| National Education Association | Resources include lessons plans, lessons sets, background resources, and games |