In honor of Constitution Day, a federally recognized day celebrating the United States Constitution, ACS announces the release of a new lesson for the Consitution in the Classroom project. This year's lesson plan celebrates the 40th anniversary of In Re Gault, the seminal Supreme Court decision in which juveniles were granted the protections of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. The complete lesson plan can be downloaded here: Juvenile Rights Lesson Plan.

According to Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), sponsor of the statute authorizing Constitution Day, "Without constant study and renewal of our knowledge of the Constitution and its history we are in peril of allowing our freedoms to erode. If we fail to understand the importance of the checks and balances between Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Executive Branch, we will not be in a position to know when these checks are threatened."

Under Constitution Day's authorizing statute, schools receiving federal funds are required to hold a program educating their students about the Constitution. Last year, schools around the country met this mandate by inviting ACS members to teach a lesson on constitutional law as part of ACS' Constitution in the Classroom Project. This ongoing project provides lawyers and law students with resources to plan lessons which they can teach to a wide range of students.