Courts in the Classroom
Supreme Court of Indiana
Division of State Court Administration
30 S. Meridian Street, Ste 500
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Dr. Elizabeth R. Osborn
Coordinator for
Public History and
Education Programs
Pho: 317.233.8682
elizabeth.osborn@courts.IN.gov
Sarah Kidwell
Outreach Coordinator
Pho: 317.234.3055
sarah.kidwell@courts.IN.gov
2011 Outstanding Public
History Project Award
from the National Council
on Public History
Field Trip Opportunities
In an effort to educate students about the history and function of Indiana 's courts, the Indiana Supreme Court hosts several interactive courtroom programs. Contact Dr. Elizabeth R. Osborn at elizabeth.osborn@courts.IN.gov to participate in one of these events.
Constitution Day
The Court holds this interactive program each September to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.
During this program, high school juniors and seniors hear remarks from various speakers including judges and other officials, read the preamble as a group, and participate in a Constitutional Treasure Hunt with the help of law clerks and staff attorneys from the federal and state courts.
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My Place is in the Voting Booth: Hoosier Suffragette Helen M. Gougar
The Court holds this interactive program each fall to commemorate a famous 19th century case about women and voting. Hoosier suffragette Helen Gougar was denied the right to vote in a Tippecanoe County election and took her case all the way to the Indiana Supreme Court (Gougar v. Timberlake).
During this program, students from fourth grade to high school participate in a re-enactment of events surrounding this case by playing roles such as Helen's family, attorneys, or Supreme Court judges, holding scene cards, or reading definitions.
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Bound for Freedom
The Court holds this interactive program each fall to commemorate a famous case challenging the prohibition of slavery found in Indiana's 1816 Constitution.
The program focuses on the struggles of a young black woman, Polly Strong, to achieve her freedom. During this program, students from fourth grade to high school participate in a re-enactment by playing the roles of Polly's family, attorneys, or Supreme Court judges, holding scene cards, or reading definitions.
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Benjamin Harrison Day
The Court holds this re-enactment each spring to commemorate the anniversary of the 1871 Ex parte Milligan case.
The program focuses on three separate court cases involving Lambdin Milligan's activities during the Civil War with breaks between for questions and answers. During this program, students from fourth grade to high school participate in a re-enactment by playing the roles of attorneys, soldiers, or Supreme Court judges, holding scene cards, or reading definitions.
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Law Day - The Stories Behind Brown v. Board of Education
The Court provides a program in celebration of Law Day (May 1) each year. In 2011, the theme focused on the case that came to be known as Brown v. Board of Education which was actually the name given to five separate cases that were heard by the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the issue of segregation in public schools.
While the facts of each case were different, the main issue in each was the constitutionality of state-sponsored segregation in public schools. During this program, students from fourth grade to high school participate in a re-enactment by playing the roles of students, parents, reporters, or Supreme Court judges, holding scene cards, or reading definitions.
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