[1][2][6] The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project was conceived by Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) while teaching at American University Washington College of Law after he was approached by a group of high school students in Montgomery County, Maryland, who felt their freedom of speech was being violated.
The project officially started in the fall of 1999 with 20 law students who volunteered to teach in eight public schools in Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County.
[3] Chapters must meet seven requirements:[11] The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project utilizes two different text books for its two sets of curriculum: Youth Justice in America and We the Students.
Both books utilize case law and constitutional analysis to walk students through complex legal issues in an easy to understand fashion.
[8] Usually held in the Spring, the National Moot Court Competition presents high school students with a unique legal issue each year, ranging from First Amendment violations to Eighth Amendment prohibitions against placing juveniles in prison for life without parole.
[12] During the National Moot Court Competition in 2012, Mary Beth Tinker of the famous Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District spoke to the competitors about the importance of knowing one's rights and of knowing how the justice system can affect their everyday lives.