Indiana Social Studies USH.7.7
The Standard
Assess the decisions of the Supreme Court, especially those which address the contests among individual citizens, workers, and corporations.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Students are expected to trace and analyze chronological periods and examine the significant themes and concepts in U.S. History. Students develop historical thinking and research skills using primary and secondary sources to explore topical issues to understand the cause for changes in the nation over time.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students examine disputes involving citizens, workers, and corporations. They explain what each side argued, what the Court decided, and who the ruling affected. They use evidence from the majority and dissent to judge the decision.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain that Citizens United allowed corporations to spend independently on elections, not donate directly to candidates. They can explain that Epic Systems upheld agreements requiring workers to bring claims through individual arbitration, then assess the ruling using arguments from both sides.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Citizens United allowed unlimited corporate donations directly to candidates. They may also think Epic Systems stopped workers from bringing claims at all, rather than limiting how workers covered by arbitration agreements could bring them.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Was the ruling in Epic Systems fair to workers and employers? State what the Court decided, then support your judgment with one majority argument and one dissenting concern.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed excerpts from the Epic Systems majority and dissent; have them highlight each side's reasoning and label its likely effect on workers.
Ask, 'Should an employer's arbitration clause block a group wage claim?' Have students defend an answer using one majority and one dissent point.
Play a case card match: pair facts from Citizens United and Epic Systems with each ruling, its legal reason, and an affected group.
Show a mock independent corporate election ad and a direct donation receipt; students identify which spending Citizens United protected.
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Related Standards
- USG.1.7
Evaluate how the United States Constitution establishes majority rule while protecting minority rights and balances the common good with individual liberties.
- USG.5.9
Analyze and evaluate landmark Supreme Court opinions concerning civil rights and civil liberties, and explain their constitutional foundations, historical conte...
- USG.5.3
Identify and describe the civil and constitutional rights found in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, and describe how they are expanded by deci...
- USH.6.9
Identify and analyze the significance of key decisions of the Warren Court.
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