APUSH Students Present on Supreme Court Cases

by Sam Levenson, SSLI '27

This week, juniors in the A.P. United States History (APUSH) class gave presentations about important Supreme Court cases. The cases that students discussed took place within the entire history of the country, ranging from the start of the nation to more recent times.

Students did a great job presenting! (C. Smith)

In the APUSH class, the students take both an AP test in May, which can grant them college credits, and a New York State Regents test, which they will be taking during finals week in June.

APUSH teacher Mr. Trupin said, “The students did very well so far. They were able to explain the cases very clearly and explain how the Constitution was applied to the facts.” 

One of the students, Jared Greenfeld, feels that his presentation went well. He elaborated, “I think I hit all my points and accurately taught my classmates my topic.” 

Students were able to use their own creativity in their presentations. Junior Samson Mildron explained, “I opened with a hypothetical thought experiment to get the class engaged, and then described the facts of this case and the ruling made in detail.”

The cases the students talked about were all different from one another. Greenfeld’s case, Ogden v. Gibbons, took place in 1824, ending in a ruling that protected congress’s ability to regulate business between states without state governments getting in the way. Mildron’s case, Mapp v. Ohio, ruled that illegally acquired evidence cannot be used in court. That case took place in 1961⸺nearly a century and a half later.

Students learned a lot of interesting information from their research. Greenfeld said, “Both Ogden and Gibbons were lawyers who were originally friends with each other until their relationship had a conflict and they became enemies.” Mildron explained that his case made its ruling “due to a rule called the exclusionary rule.” This rule prevents the government from using evidence collected that violates the rights of the defendant.

As Regents and Finals Week gets closer, the students continue to keep these exams at the front of their minds. Greenfeld concluded that the APUSH Regents has many questions about the government, Supreme Court, and the cases, so the “deeper dive into the cases will help me prepare.”

Sam Levenson is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since October 2023. Sam is currently a freshman at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: slevenson27@schechterli.org.