$9,400 Awarded for Supreme Court History Project

(LANSING)-----The Michigan Humanities Council (MHC) today awarded a $9,400 grant to the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society for the project, The Verdict of History: The History of Michigan Jurisprudence Through Its Significant Supreme Court Cases. The grant is part of the MHC’s Michigan People Michigan Places, Our Stories Our Lives program, which supports community collaboration for public humanities programs. The grant was presented at the State Bar of Michigan in Lansing. The event included presentations by the offices of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Senator Carl Levin, and U.S. Representative Mike Rogers.

“This unique project creates important opportunities for high school students to learn about jurisprudence by exposing them to some of Michigan’s significant Supreme Court cases,” stated Jan Fedewa, executive director of the Michigan Humanities Council. “The Michigan Humanities Council is pleased to support the development of this educational program.”

The Verdict of History project will place case studies, excerpts of decisions, and supporting materials on the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society website, www.micourthistory.org. In addition, high school level teaching units will be created for seven of the cases (to be determined). The units will meet MEAP standards to be integrated into the curriculum. Hard copy reference binders and teaching units will be made available in limited quantities to resource repositories; teaching units will also be available on-line for review and downloading at no charge. The Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center and the Michigan Center for Civic Education Through Law are collaborating on this project. It is anticipated the project will be completed by March 2008.

Angela Bergman, the project director, explained, “We have worked with two outstanding Michigan educators to complete the Verdict of History teaching units. Each case selected will encourage discussion and debate among students. The teaching units, which will be unveiled at the Center for Civic Education’s Law and Civic Education Workshop in December, offer several options for teachers ranging from a single day How Would You Decide? format to an in-depth look at the case and moot court or brief writing activities.”

"Knowledge of history is the framework for building our future," said U.S. Representative Mike Rogers. "As a former FBI Special Agent, I know how important it is for our young people to understand the work of our judicial system and the role the Michigan Supreme Court has in ensuring the protection of our freedoms and our citizen-based government."

"Knowledge of the law and jurisprudence is an important component of good citizenship,” said U.S. Senator Carl Levin. “With the Verdict of History project, the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society is providing our schools with the tools to assure that we graduate fully prepared citizens.”

"Grants from the Michigan Humanities Council help Michigan communities study and preserve the state’s unique culture and heritage,” said U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. “I am pleased to be able to support funding for the council and the MI Supreme Court Historical Society.”

The Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society was established in 1988 by Chief Justice Dorothy Comstock Riley to preserve documents, records, and memorabilia of the Michigan Supreme Court, to promote the study of the history of Michigan’s courts, and to increase public awareness of Michigan’s legal heritage.

The Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is the state’s independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For additional information on the Michigan Humanities Council, please visit: www.michiganhumanities.org or call 517-372-7770.

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