Citizenship: Duties, Rights, and Liberties
Session 13: Due Process

Materials

• Textbook
• Handout: “In re Gault” (Attachment J)

Instructional Activities

1. Distribute as a handout or read the Supreme Court case “In re Gault” (Attachment J) to the class.
   
   
2. Ask for student reactions. Ask them to list the elements of the case they feel were not fair.
   
   
3. Explain that the elements they have mentioned are all part of due process.
   
   
4. Define the term due process.
   
   
5. Read the 5th and 14th amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Explain that these amendments protect the rights of citizens.
   
   
6. Ask students to rewrite the due process section of each amendment in their own words in their notebooks.
   
   
7. Explain that the 14th amendment is designed to make sure that states give citizens the same rights in state courts that the Bill of Rights guarantees in federal courts.
   
   
8. Explain that violation of a defendant’s due process is the primary reason cases are appealed.