“Know Your Rights!”
Competition

Each group will be given a list of selected
Constitutional Amendments to refer to.

I will display a series of scenarios where someone’s
constitutional rights are being violated.

For each scenario, you will have 3 minutes to
figure out which constitutional amendment(s) are
being violated. In some situations, multiple
amendments are being violated. In others, none.

The winning team will be given a prize.

Sara, an eighteen-year old college student,
is arrested for stealing a classmate’s term
paper and selling it on the Internet. When
she appears before the judge, she asks for a
lawyer to help defend her. The judge tells
her if she is smart enough to be in college,
she is smart enough to defend herself.
Besides, she is not being charged with a
felony, so the stakes are not very high. What
constitutional rights are being violated?

6th
 Carolyn
is arrested for shoplifting a
candy bar from a neighborhood
convenience store. At trial, she is
found guilty. The judge decides
that the appropriate punishment is
to cut off Carolyn’s hands so that
she will not be able to shoplift
again. What constitutional rights
are being violated?

8th

Mr. Reynolds, an avid hunter, opens the
door of his home one day to find agents
from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms inside. They inform him that certain
provisions of a new federal law allow them
to confiscate his rifles so that he may not
engage in terrorist activities or plot against
the United States government. They have no
evidence that he is connected to any such
activities. What constitutional rights are
being violated?

2nd, 4th, 5th
 Jacob
posts a blog criticizing the
U.S. Government for their policy on
Middle Eastern affairs. The blog is
removed from the internet by the
Government. What constitutional
rights are being violated?

1st
 Isabelle
is a writer for the “New York
Times” newspaper. She writes an
editorial that criticizes President Barack
Obama. Several White House officials
call Isabelle’s editor. The Editor pulls her
story from the paper and fires Isabelle.
Then, the Department of Homeland
Security goes through her house to
check for evidence of terrorism. She is
arrested and denied a trial. The judge
orders that she should be burned alive.
What constitutional rights are being
violated?

1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th
 An
Islamic minister owns property
near Ground Zero in New York City
and wants to build a mosque
(place of worship for people of
the Islamic faith). The Mayor shuts
down the operation, not allowing
it to be built. What constitutional
rights are being violated?

1st (freedom of religion)
 Your
parents are very religious
people, but you are not. Today , your
parents are going to a service at their
place of worship and they expect
you to come along. You refuse. They
make you come anyway and they
ground you for the following month.
What constitutional rights are being
violated?

NONE: The Bill of Rights protects individual liberties such as
freedom of religion from encroachment by the federal or the
state governments, but does not limit the actions of individuals
(e.g., parents)
 Because
of the budget deficit, the
United States government is looking
for ways to cut costs. They have
announced a plan during peacetime
to house unmarried soldiers in the
homes of American citizens who do
not have children. What
constitutional rights are being
violated?

3rd
 Troy
loans Jalen $10 with the
understanding that it needs to be
paid back in a week. Jalen does
not pay back the $10, so Troy
kidnaps him and orders him to do
his homework and his chores
around the house until he gets
paid. What constitutional
amendments are being violated?

13th
 Kobe
is 18 years old and wants to
cast his vote for governor. When
he arrives at his voting precinct,
a state official tells him he has to
pay $50 in order to vote. Kobe
doesn’t have any money on him,
and is told to leave. What
constitutional rights are being
violated?
 24th

Sam walks into a movie theater and
screams “FIRE!!!” Sam lied because he knew
there wasn’t any fire. A few people were
injured when they ran towards the exit. He is
arrested for causing a disturbance. What
constitutional amendments are being
violated?

NONE. Freedom of Speech in the 1st amendment
doesn’t give you the right to say anything you want
without consequences. Slander (speaking false
statements) and libel (printing false statements) are
not protected. Also, any speech that causes
physical harm or that threatens violence is not
protected.

A known drug dealer is arrested for the
murder of a rival dealer. A jury finds him Not
Guilty due to a lack of evidence. A year
goes by and police find a new witness who
says they saw the drug dealer commit the
murder of the rival dealer mentioned
before. He is arrested for Murder and put on
trial. What constitutional rights are being
violated?

5th (double Jeopardy)
 Cody
pays a local TV station to run a
political advertisement supporting his
choice for President. The Governor of
Florida disagrees with his choice and
forces the TV station to stop airing the
advertisement. Cody claims his 1st
amendment rights are being violated,
but the Governor argues that the Bill of
Rights only guarantees protection from
the federal government, not the states.
What constitutional rights are being
violated?

14th , 1st
 The
U.S. Government tells Florida that
they don’t like Florida’s new
standardized test for students. The U.S.
Government forces Florida to get rid
of the test and replace it with an
even harder version made by them.
Florida argues that the Federal
Government has no say over how
education is run in the states. What
constitutional rights are being
violated?

10th

A neighbor is suing the Smith family because
a tree in the Smith’s yard fell on their roof
during a hurricane. The neighbors want the
Smith family to pay $850 to have their roof
repaired. Mr. Smith requests that a jury be
present to hear this case. The judge says it is
not necessary since the amount of the
repairs is so small. What constitutional rights
are being violated?

7th

Josh’s family lives in a house on a
major road. The local government
decides to expand the road from
two lanes to four lanes. The
government is taking 20 feet from
Josh’s front yard/driveway for the
new lanes and paying them $5,000
for it. What constitutional rights are
being violated?

None. The Supreme Court has defended the
concept of “Eminent Domain” found in the
Takings Clause of the 5th Amendment. “…nor shall
private property be taken for public use, without
just compensation.”
 The
state of Florida passes a law that
creates a curfew for all citizens.
Essentially, no one is allowed outside
from the hours of 11pm to 5am. They
argue that the Federal Government
does not prohibit curfews, and
through the rules of Federalism they
are allowed to pass this law. What
constitutional rights are being
violated?

9th

Rob was accused of robbing a pawnshop because
he had been to jail before for theft. There was no
evidence that Rob committed the crime. The cops
arrested him within two days of the incident. Since
he was unemployed and had no job, he could not
afford a lawyer to prove his innocence. He claimed
the cops falsely arrested him because he was at
home when the crime occurred. The cops came to
Rob’s house and searched through it. Rob cannot
afford a lawyer to prove his innocence and will go
to trial and defend himself. What constitutional
rights are being violated?

6th, 4th
 Selena
is 25 years old and goes to
the polls to vote for President of
the United States. A man stops her
before she gets goes into the
booth to fill out her ballot. He says,
“instead of filling out this ballot,
you should go do ballet. Get out
of here lady!” What constitutional
rights are being violated?

19th
 John
is a 40 year old AfricanAmerican male who goes to cast
his vote for President. He waits in
line next to an Asian-American
male and a white male, both
over 18. John and the AsianAmerican man are told to leave
before they can vote. What
constitutional rights are being
violated?
 15th
 You
are in the security line at the
airport. The transportation safety
agent requires you to take off your
coat, take off your shoes, and empty
your pockets. The agent also
completes a pat-down search. What
constitutional rights are being
violated?

NONE: The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable
search and seizure, but airport security procedures are
reasonable deterrents to airplane hijackings.
 Gabriel
is 18 and goes to the polls to
vote for politicians running for local
office. A County Elections official asks
him if he has graduated from high
school. Gabriel says, “No.” The official
tells him he must leave and come
back to vote only when he
graduates. What constitutional
amendments are being violated?

26th