All essays are in PDF format.

6th Grade

1st Place—Mathew A. Weirick, Gagie School, Kalamazoo, teacher Joe Meyers
2nd Place—Theresa Elizabeth Riggs, St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor, teacher Kirstin Boettcher
3rd Place—Philip Ryan Martin, L’Anse Creuse Middle School North, Macomb, teacher Karen Meyers

7th Grade

1st Place—Michael Shapiro, Tappan Middle School, Ann Arbor, teacher Wendy Raymond
2nd Place—Scott Lowe Lieberman, Tappan Middle School, Ann Arbor, teacher Wendy Raymond
3rd Place—Michael Alan Schickling, Tappan Middle School, Ann Arbor, teacher Wendy Raymond

8th Grade

1st Place—Michael Tyrel Payne, Traverse City East Middle School, Traverse City, teachers Judy Childs and Brandi Reynolds
2nd Place—Anna Rosenfeld, Tappan Middle School, Ann Arbor, teacher Stephen Morris
3rd Place—Katherine Isabel Scheurer, Kalamazoo Country Day, Kalamazoo, teacher Kristin Hovestadt

"Should" Questions

1. Suppose that a newspaper has obtained illegally leaked, classified documents about American involvement in Iraq. Should a newspaper be allowed to print classified documents that could affect our national security?

See New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971)

See Landmark Supreme Court Cases and the Constitution: New York Times v. U.S. (1971)

2. Should there be limitations on the freedom of the press during wartime?

See Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47 (1919)

3. Should the president nominate Supreme Court justices who have a history of judicial activism?

See Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857)

See Landmark Cases: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

See A Glossary of Political Economy Terms: Judicial Activism

4. Should political candidates speak out against court decisions that they disagree with?

See Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857)

See Speech on the Dread Scott Decision

5. Should our representatives be elected through a process of free and open debate?

See F.E.C. v. Wisconsin Right to Life, 551 U.S. ___ (2007)

See Landmark Supreme Court Cases and the Constitution: F.E.C. v. Wisconsin Right to Life (2007)

6. Should the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have the right to habeas corpus?

See Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004)

See Case Unit: Ex Parte Merryman and Debates on Civil Liberties During the Civil War

See Case at a Glance: Enemy Combatants: Does the Military Commissions Act of 2006 Violate the Suspension Clause?