FantasySCOTUS and Harlan Institute Featured on CNN.com

November 23rd, 2010

Bill Mears has a piece titled ‘Fantasy’ website helps students learn about Supreme Court on CNN.com. Here is the introduction:

The Supreme Court can seem a distant, dusty place, far removed from what young people, especially, see as relevant in their lives. It’s an institution closed to cameras, with justices issuing dense written opinions while working mostly from their private chambers. So how do you get high schoolers interested in the important judicial stakes that affect everyone?

Attorney Josh Blackman has found a way, using digital technology to give students the power to pick high court winners and losers through an interactive hands-on nationwide competition.

Through his FantasyScotus.net website, Blackman created a nationwide teaching tool involving 200 classes around the country, and growing. Using a fantasy league concept popular with sporting events, Blackman organized a web-based game where students analyze current high-profile cases, then predict the outcomes. Points are awarded, and winners get bragging rights, badges of honor and internet recognition.