Equal Justice Under Law
(Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago)
Equal Justice Under Law is a fall-semester program conducted by the
Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) that helps Illinois high school
teachers of law and government classes connect important constitutional
questions to public policy. The program, conducted in parallel tracks
downstate and in the Chicago area, provides students with an opportunity to
make this connection by studying a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and
then applying that understanding to a related public policy question.
In their classes, students examine case facts, review the constitutional
issue, consider the arguments they find persuasive and analyze a related
law or public policy using CRFC materials. The program culminates in two
parallel Equal Justice Under Law Student Conferences held in Springfield
and in Chicago. At each conference, students deliberate the constitutional
issue and discuss the related policy questions with peers, legal experts and
policymakers. Following the conference, students offer their perspectives in
op-ed pieces, letters to legislators or position papers.