Constitution Day 2011

    Thursday, September 15, 2011
    CFO 202
    2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

 

The department of History & Government presented a discussion of the First Amendment issues raised by a recent U.S. Supreme Court case, Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association. This case considered California’s attempt to ban the sale or rental of violent video games to those under the age of 18. California contended that its law, regarding games which portray killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being, did not violate the First Amendment. The state argued that the law would help parents protect their children, and protect minors from the harmful effects of using violent video games.

 

To review evolving understandings of the scope of the First Amendment, nine students role played a former or current Supreme Court justice, ranging from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., to Sonia Sotomayor. The students interpreted how their particular justice would rule on the case, based on his or her First Amendment philosophy. Karen Webb acted as Marshall and called the audience to order.  Dr. Jeff Robb acted as MC introducing the justices and giving a short bio on each one before they spoke.

Our student participants were:  Megan Johnson (Justice Antonin Scalia), Kevin Callahan (Justice Felix Frankfurter), Phillip Pierce (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.), Christopher Cyrus (Justice Hugo Black), Sara Glenn (Justice John Paul Stevens), Clarice Robinson (Justice Thurgood Marshall), Jaclyn Hise (portrayal of Justice William Brennan, Jr.), Jes Peel (opinion of Justice William Brennan, Jr. - not pictured),  Christina Wagoner (Justice Sandra Day O'Connor), Ileana Rojas (Justice Sonia Sotomayor)