A popular elective social studies course at Fox Chapel Area High School allows students an opportunity to serve as attorneys and Supreme Court justices.

Seniors in AP U.S. Government & Politics can select two out of 20 undecided real cases and play a fictional part in the nation’s judicial system.

It is a semester-long course with classes lasting about 80 minutes each.

Justices read legal briefs on the selected case via SCOTUSblog and other sources and prepared questions based on what was presented in court.

Other students, three for each side of the argument, serve as attorneys and have to act swiftly and professionally with their responses. Each side also gives a closing argument.

It was one of several course activities senior Blake Kuhn, who served as Justice Samuel Alito, found enlightening.

“It was a really great opportunity,” he said after ruling on a case on May 23. “We just learned so much. Everything kind of opened up doors to new questions. (Teacher Jen) Klein was always there to answer. … Things that are really basic in civics that you think every American should know, a majority don’t know. In taking a civics class like Government (& Politics), they could actually know and become better citizens. With a better citizenry, we could have a better country.”

Blake said he wanted to learn more about the justice system after watching the legal crime drama “Better Call Saul,” a spin-off of the “Breaking Bad” franchise. It served primarily as a prequel and centers around aspiring lawyer and former con artist Jimmy McGill and his ethical decline.

Senior Murugan Ayyanar, who served as Chief Justice John Roberts, had similar inspirations. He said we wanted to take the class after watching the legal drama “Suits.”

The USA Network hit premiered in June 2011 and was set in a fictional New York City corporate law firm. It lasted nine seasons.

“I’ve always been more interested in biology (and science), so I was planning on that, but (the show) made me more interested in government,” Murugan said. “As the course progressed, I feel like I’ve gotten a deeper appreciation of the justice system. I didn’t really understand what was happening.”

The Supreme Court activity is one of many course components.

It also gives students a look into all facets of government, from the presidency and Congress to bureaucracy, political parties, election and campaign processes, the role of media, foundational documents such as the Constitution, civil liberties, civil rights and more.

There is a civic engagement component in which students can choose to attend a local government meeting, volunteer at polling places, help register voters, volunteer for a campaign or compete in essay contests, to name a few options.

“The course is pretty extensive,” said Klein, who has served the district for more than 30 years and taught the AP class for about 20 years. “This is just one little piece the the puzzle.

“It is sad that so few kids truly have an understanding of how the government works. It’s wonderful when they leave here that they can have adult conversations about checks and balances and the role of the national government as opposed to state governments. The difference from when they walk in to when they walk out is pretty significant.”

Klein offers students a survey to see who wants to be a justice or an attorney. She then takes their suggestions and makes a selection based on their skill set.

“I only have nine justice seats and I want every kid to shine,” she said. “I’ve worked with them all semester, so I have an idea of who I think would be better for what role. They are all super bright kids, but there are some kids that just shine better in one role versus the other.”

Case information

The case that Murugan, Blake and seven other student justices presided over this month was Mahmoud v. Taylor.

The core issue is whether parents have a First Amendment right to opt their children out of lessons that conflict with their religious beliefs.

In October 2022, Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland approved LGBTQ-inclusive books for its English Language Arts curriculum.

The books featured characters and themes related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Several of the books would be for K-5 students.

According to an AP report, the county school board introduced the storybooks as part of an effort to better reflect the district’s diversity.

Parents sued after the school system stopped allowing them to pull their kids from lessons that included the books. The parents argue that public schools cannot force kids to participate in instruction that violates their faith, and they pointed to the opt-out provisions in sex education classes.

The schools said allowing children to opt out of the lessons had become disruptive. Lower courts backed the schools, prompting the parents’ appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority in April signaled support for the religious rights of parents in Maryland who want to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks with LGBTQ characters.

A decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor is expected by early summer.

The student court ruled 5-4 in favor of the parents.

The majority were “Justices” Alito, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett.

Parental support

Several parents observed their students in action on May 23.

Attendees included Robert and Carolyn Gould, parents of senior Lindsay Gould, who served as Justice Clarence Thomas.

“I think it’s a valuable thing to come across, even if you’re not going to pursue anything in (government),” Robert Gould said. “To know how the world works is pretty valuable.”

Carolyn Gould said she was very impressed with the proceedings, and student attorneys on both sides presented compelling arguments.

They were grateful for the opportunity to sit in on a class and see the impact it had on their daughter.

“We’ve been in the district for nine years now and have been very happy with the level of instruction, the energy and excitement from the teachers,” Robert Gould said.

Lindsay Gould said her teacher’s passion made the class fairly easy, interesting and less stressful compared to other subjects. She also called being a justice “powerful.”

Lindsay said she still plans on majoring in music and playing saxophone and has no plans to become an attorney.

One thing the young justice said that was challenging was casting aside her personal beliefs and focusing on the law when it came down to making a decision on the case.

She noted students had the freedom to make up their own minds and did not have to consider how their adult counterparts may rule.

“That was difficult, but it was helpful in understanding both sides of the case,” Lindsay said. “We talked about the Supreme Court, so we knew about the justices. We knew if they (had a) more loose or strict interpretation of the Constitution. We didn’t really have to take that into account at all for this activity. We had to research the case.”

Lindsay said she did not feel much pressure with her parents in the audience because they attend her music performances. She voted in favor of the school system.

Courtroom look

Klein’s classroom looks very similar to the actual Supreme Court room. Inspired by interior photos, high school art students about 10 years ago painted a red drape backdrop.

A wood shop teacher and several other students crafted the bench, and the pillars were picked up at a nonprofit warehouse called Construction Junction.

Klein said her classroom is the result of a total team effort and adds to the student experience.

Other parts of the classroom include an equal number of political signs from each party and a Wall of Voters. Students in a given school year who vote sign their name and year on the wall near the door.

Senior Addison Rossi took the AP course in a different class period and was an attorney arguing a different case this semester.

She sat in on the May 23 hearing with the Goulds and other attendees. The future University of Pittsburgh medical student said she may switch studies as a result of her experiences in Fox Chapel.

“I applied to Pitt in August for biology because that’s what I wanted,” Addison said. “Taking this has made me question that decision — (it) made me want to look more into law and potentially think about a major shift. I just had a lot of fun in this class and I truly just love everything we’re learning. It’s shifting my mind about what I want to do.

“Miss Klein is so passionate. She loves all of us. She is so excited to teach all of us. It’s my favorite class of the day.”

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