Constitution Land – A Theme Park from the Harlan Institute
Release: April 1, 2011
Media Contact:
Josh Blackman (202) 294-9003, JBlackman@HarlanInstitute.org.
Constitution Land, a planned theme park from the Harlan Institute, will immerse “we the people” in the Constitution of the United States. Through virtual reality simulators, thrill rides, and entertaining shows, visitors will be able to experience our Constitution, and the Supreme Court, unlike ever before.
“Constitution Land will be a one-of-a-kind experience,” said Josh Blackman, President of the Harlan Institute. “Only the Harlan Institute, and its innovative approach to civic education could create a theme park to inspire students of all ages to learn more our great Charter.”
The Harlan Institute, in consultation with leading academics, historians, engineers, and theme park enthusiasts, has prepared the plans for this groundbreaking education destination. In addition to exhilarating thrill rides based on landmark Supreme Court cases, Constitution Land will feature virtual reality simulators that explore how cases developed, and what will become of our law. Finally, shows, and first-rate accommodations will make a visit to Constitution Land a must for anyone who wants to learn more about the supreme law of the land.
Constitution Land’s planned attractions include:
Virtual Reality Simulators
FantasySCOTUS: Think you know how the Justices will vote on a current case? Sharpen your wits and compete in FantasySCOTUS, the Harlan Institute’s Supreme Court Fantasy League.
The “10th Justice” Experience: What would have happened if the Supreme Court decided a case differently? Marshall ordered Madison to deliver Marbury’s commission? Dred Scott was found to be a citizen? Homer Plessy was not forced to ride in the segregated car? This simulator explores these constitutional what ifs.
The Originalist Time Machine: What would James Madison think about violent video games, gun violence, or mandating the eating of broccoli? With the Originalist Time Machine, you can ask Founding Fathers avatars–which are programmed based on their writings and philosophies–what they think about contemporary constitutional questions.
Scrutiny Land: Witness first-hand deprivations of liberty, and determine what tier of scrutiny is appropriate, and whether the act was unconstitutional.
Thrill Rides
Marbury v. Madison Dueling Roller-Coasters: Learn about President John Adams’ midnight appointees, and John Marshall’s failure to timely deliver Marbury’s commission on this speedy coaster that goes from zero to judicial review in (article) 3 seconds.
Gibbons v. Ogden Flume Ride: Get wet in interstate commerce as you traverse the treacherous waters between New York and New Jersey.
The Zones of Twilight Steel Mill of Terror: Based on Justice Jackson’s famed zone of twilight framework from the Steel Seizure case, this thrilling ride flies you through a haunted steel mill during the height of the Korean War.
Shows
Interrogation. The Experience: Volunteers will be subjected to interrogation technique by trained law enforcement officers to illustrate how duress and pressure can influence a suspect.
The Footnote Four String Quartet: Enjoy a musical revue exploring constitutional law in song.
Accommodations
Lochner’s Bakery- Sample some of the most “healthful,” and delicious baked goods, including breads, muffins, and hot cross buns.
Carolene Products Creamery: Enjoy your favorite dairy products, including cheese, ice cream, and yogurt, made from fresh, or filled milk.
The Slaughter-House Cases New Orleans BBQ- You have the “privilege” to savor some of the best flavors of Southern BBQ, or the “immunity” to sample healthy desserts.
Granholm v. Heald Dormant Wine Bar- Imbibe delicious wines imported from out of state.
Construction on Constitution Land is scheduled to begin on September 17, 2012, Constitution Day, outside of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, near the site of George Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware River, and minutes away from Philadelphia, the Cradle of our Constitution.
The Harlan Institute
The Harlan Institute’s mission is to bring a stylized law school experience into the high school classroom to ensure that our next generation of leaders has a proper understanding of our most fundamental laws. By utilizing the expertise of leading legal scholars and the interactivity of online games, Harlan will introduce students to our Constitution, the cases of the United States Supreme Court, and our system of justice. Harlan’s long term strategic goal is to develop condensed law school courses that can be taught at no cost in high schools across the country using engaging online programs.
In case you didn't realize it, this is an April Fool's Joke.
On Friday, March 18, 2011, I had the distinct honor and privilege of advising a group of Middle Eastern judges from Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Tunisia under the auspices of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. This program invited these foreign jurists, who are selected as the rising stars in the government (impressive alumni include President Nicholas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Hamid Karzi) to the United States to learn about the rule of law and judicial reform. I was invited to speak to the group as a representative of the Harlan Institute about how American students learn about the law, Constitution, and the Supreme Court.
All too often lawyers are critical of such meetings, contending that American lawyers and jurists are influenced by foreign law. I disagree—the door swings both ways. My aim was to introduce our guests not just to how Americans learn about the law, but what the students actually learn. I began the session by handing each guest a copy of the United States Constitution translated into Arabic, courtesy of the Cato Institute. No one in the room had ever seen or read the United States Constitution before.
Arabic Constitution
With the assistance of a simultaneous Arabic translator, I introduced our guests to the Constitution through the case of Snyder v. Phelps, relying on the lesson plan the Harlan Institute designed for high school students. I explained how the case as structured—(Petitioner) Matthew Snyder, father of slain Marine Mathew Snyder, objected to the protests from (Respondents) Fred Phelps and his family, and filed a lawsuit in federal district Court. Next, I explained how our tripartite federal judicial system is structured, discussing the interaction between the judges on the district, appellate, and Supreme Courts.
With the procedural matters out of the way, I moved onto the substantive law. I asked each of them to turn to the page of their pocket Constitution that contained the First Amendment. None of them had ever been exposed to our great Charter. As I read it out loud, and saw their eyes following along in Arabic, I felt a joy that exceeds any other feeling I have ever had as a teacher. It was quite a rush.
The jurists were very interested in FantasySCOTUS. One judge asked if we could create a version for the Tunisian judiciary. They were also quited interested in,HARLANconnect, the Harlan Institute’s platform to connect lawyers and professors with students using Skype. Several of the members who were responsible for promoting education in their country expressed an interest in Skyping with members of the Harlan network.
I look forward to working with my new friends, and helping to promote the study of liberty and the rule of law around the World.
The Supreme Court has announced that it will issue one or more opinions on March 22, 2011. Here are the official FantasySCOTUS.net prediction tracker forecasts for all remaining cases.
Today the Supreme Court decided Snyder v. Phelps. Eight Members of the Supreme Court held that the First Amendment protects the right of protestors to display signs containing offensive messages about gay people near funerals of fallen military service members.
Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion. The signs discussed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and our military, which are public, rather than private matters. When speech deals with a matter of public concern, it deserves stronger First Amendment protection. Additionally, the protestors stayed approximately 1,000 feet away from the funeral service, and Mr. Snyder, the father of the slain Marine, could only see the tops of the protestors’ signs. Therefore, the speech was protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Justice Alito disagreed with the Court, and wrote a dissenting opinion. Justice Alito wrote that the death of Matthew Snyder was not a public issue, but a private issue. The First Amendment does not protect such outrageous conduct dealing with private matters. The protests caused the Snyder family a lot of pain and suffering. Justice Alito would have permitted the Snyder family to sue the protestors.
Abbie (on the left) and Olivia (on the right) Foster, creators of TeenJury.com. (Photograph courtesy of Masslive.com)
Olivia Foster, is a 14-year-old Freshman at Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and is the creator of TeenJury.com. TeenJury.com is a web site managed by teenagers dedicated to teaching other teens about the Supreme Court and our Constitution.The site provides an anatomy of a Supreme Case, biographies of the Supreme Court Justices, discussions of upcoming cases, recaps of recent cases, and news stories.
Last fall, Olivia asked Justice Breyer to autograph a copy of his book, Making Our Democracy work. Justice Breyer invited her to attend oral arguments, and wrote in her book, “To Olivia, hope to see you in November.” In November, Olivia attended arguments at the Supreme Court for Schwarzenneger v. EMA and Sossamon v. Texas as personal guests of Justice Breyer. This visit to the Court inspired Olivia to create TeenJury.com.
In this podcast, I chat with Olivia about her site, how she created it, her experiences at the Supreme Court, and what she thinks more broadly about the state of civic education in America. Olivia has a bright future ahead of her, and no surprise, wants to attend law school. For more background, check out this profile on MassLive.com.
Check out this fantastic post from the Skype Blog about the Harlan Institute and HARLANconnect. If your class is interested in participating in a Skype virtual mentoring session, sign up here. If you are interested in serving as a mentor, sign up here.
Josh Blackman of the Harlan Institute interviewed Professor Tom Donnelly, a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at the Harvard Law School, about Schwarzenneger v. EMA. This case looks at whether the First Amendment of the Constitution bars California from restricting the sale of violent video games to children.
Listen to the podcast here.
The words fantasy player and U.S. Supreme Court have never had a reason to be heard in the same breath, but for any law geek who’s ever dreamed of serving as the 10th justice, your fancy now can be fulfilled. The year-old website FantasySCOTUS lets aspiring Supreme Court justices, legal pundits and those of you with a tad too much time on your hands predict the outcome in pending U.S. Supreme Court cases.
An aspiring academic, Blackman also has developed a version of the website for high school students atfantasySCOTUS.org. The offshoot was unplanned, but Blackman says he developed it after teachers began asking for it. So far an estimated 200 teachers and 1,000 students play.
To support that offshoot, Blackman founded the Harlan Institute and spent his summer developing lesson plans. The Harlan Institute also places volunteer attorneys into classrooms using FantasySCOTUS. “We’ve created a savvy way for attorneys to do pro bono,” Blackman says. “They can even use Skype and volunteer right from their desks.”
The Harlan Institute is proud to announce the launch of HARLANconnect.
Popout
HARLANconnect revolutionizes the way attorneys and students interact.
Classes sign up to learn from a virtual mentor about the Constitution and the Supreme Court
Attorneys volunteer to mentor classes
HARLANconnect facilitates Skype Video Calls and other virtual exchanges between classrooms and attorney mentors
What is HARLANconnect?
HARLANconnect is the Harlan Institute’s innovative platform to help connect attorneys, law professors, and law students with high school classes. Through the use of Skype Video calls, classrooms can connect with attorneys anywhere in the world, and learn more about the Constitution and the Supreme Court.
How does HARLANconnect work?
HARLANconnect provides a simple and easy way for classes to be mentored and learn from attorneys, law professors, and law students.
First, interested classes request a mentor.
Second, the Harlan Institute contacts one of the attorneys in our vast network, and attempts to locate a suitable mentor for the classroom. This mentor will be an attorney, law professor, or law student with a passion for the Constitution, and an interest in sharing his or her knowledge with tomorrow’s leaders and decision-makers.
Third, after a mentor is paired with a class, the Harlan Institute will schedule an initial Skype video call. During this 45-minute call, the mentor will introduce the students to one of the cases pending before the Supreme Court this term, and highlight the constitutional issues in the case.
Following the initial Skype Call, if both the class and the mentor concur, the Harlan Institute will schedule additional Skype calls and other forms of electronic exchange.
How do I get involved?
The goal of HARLANconnect is to make the mentoring process as easy and effective as possible. While the time commitment for all parties is rather small, we find that the virtual visits to classrooms are the next-best-thing to in-person visits.
If you are an attorney, law student, or law professor, and are interested in mentoring a class, please fill out this form.
If you are interested in signing your class up for a mentor, please select a lesson, and sign up for a time slot on this calendar.
Arabic Constitution
Abbie (on the left) and Olivia (on the right) Foster, creators of TeenJury.com. (Photograph courtesy of Masslive.com)
What is HARLANconnect?
First, interested classes request a mentor.
Second, the Harlan Institute contacts one of the attorneys in our vast network, and attempts to locate a suitable mentor for the classroom. This mentor will be an attorney, law professor, or law student with a passion for the Constitution, and an interest in sharing his or her knowledge with tomorrow’s leaders and decision-makers.
Third, after a mentor is paired with a class, the Harlan Institute will schedule an initial Skype video call. During this 45-minute call, the mentor will introduce the students to one of the cases pending before the Supreme Court this term, and highlight the constitutional issues in the case.
Following the initial Skype Call, if both the class and the mentor concur, the Harlan Institute will schedule additional Skype calls and other forms of electronic exchange.
