Presentation Transcript

1. Laws and Rights

   Human Rights, types of laws, and our Constitutional Framework
2. Human Rights These are all the rights people have because they are human beings We have them throughout our entire lives and they apply everywhere They include: the right to an education, the right not to be tortured, political and religious freedom, and economic wellbeing All countries that belong to the UN recognize these rights
3. “With every right there comes a responsibility” We have to act in a responsible manner to maintain our rights If we want to have a trial by jury, then we need to be willing to serve on a jury If we want a local government to respond to our wants and needs, then we need to vote and get involved in the political process
4. Criminal Laws Regulate the conduct and duties of people in society When someone breaks a criminal law, the government presses charges against them Punishments can include jail time, restitution, fines, placement under supervision In a criminal trial, you have the Prosecution and the defense
5. 2 categories of crimes in Criminal cases Felonies – crimes with punishments that can result in a jail sentence of more than 1 year Misdemeanors – less serious crimes with punishments that can result in a jail sentence of less than 1 year
6. Civil Laws Regulate relations between individuals or groups of individuals Civil action – a lawsuit in which one person accuses another of wrongful conduct Punishments in a civil action can include a monetary award, court order to make amends with plaintiff, or other non-jail time damages
7. Civil or Criminal? Decide whether the following cases are civil or criminal in nature Press A for Civil Press B for Criminal
8. A – Civil B-Criminal Betty sells meth to a four year old Loquatia is divorcing her husband Brad runs a stop sign and hits an elderly woman, Matilda O’Longshanks, who is miraculously pregnant with triplets The elderly woman’s grandchildren, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, sue Brad for wrongful death Xena steals a crystal unicorn from her friend Delphinium (“d” to her true friends) and d calls the police
9. A – Civil B - Criminal Martin poisons his neighbor’s yappy little dog Martin’s neighbor, an albino panda trainer named Nipsy, is caught cheating on his taxes Luftwaffe steals the mayor’s car and robs a Chik Fil A. Lufwaffe is arrested while eating some delicious chicken nuggets
10. A – Civil B - Criminal Lotta Tacos was busted for prostitution in front of Fazolli’s Minnie Cakes was caught smoking Marijuana in the toy department at Kmart Snuggles O’Shea punched an out-of-work rodeo clown after he made a disparaging comment about Snuggles’ Siamese twin, Truffles. The clown is suing Snuggles.
11. Our Constitutional Framework The Constitution is the highest law of the land, but we have a Limited Government The federal government only has a certain amount of control over the citizens Federalism – the separation of power b/w US govt. and state governments Our government creates statutes , or laws or rules that we must follow To make sure government power does not get too strong, the Constitution outlines a separation of powers
12. Checks and Balances Each branch of the government has the ability to limit the power of the other two Judicial review – allows a court to declare a law passed by Congress as unenforceable or unconstitutional Unconstitutional – a law conflicts with the rights guaranteed in the US Constitution
13. The Constitution first 10 Amendments are called the Bill of Rights There are 27 Amendments to the US Constitution Every state has a constitution as well It is very hard to change a constitution because we believe any big changes should be well-thought out and carefully planned
14. Legislatures There are both federal and state legislatures They draft bills and vote on them, if people agree to the bill then it becomes a law Supremacy clause – the US Constitution is the supreme law of the land Any state law that conflicts with the US constitution will be invalidated