Civics Simulation: United States v. Mia and the Limits of Free Speech

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

This educational video presents a fictional Supreme Court case, "United States v. Mia," to teach students about the First Amendment and the complexities of freedom of speech. Through a mock trial format, viewers explore whether a student's viral digital artwork, which criticized a government law and sparked civil disobedience, is protected speech or criminal incitement. The video encourages students to act as Supreme Court justices, weighing arguments from both the defense and the prosecution. The narrative serves as a practical application of four major historical legal precedents: Tinker v. Des Moines, Texas v. Johnson, Schenck v. United States, and Brandenburg v. Ohio. By applying these real-world rulings to a hypothetical scenario involving social media and digital protests, the video makes abstract constitutional concepts concrete and relevant to modern students. This resource is highly valuable for Civics and U.S. Government classrooms. It moves beyond simple definitions of rights to the higher-order skill of legal analysis. Teachers can use this video to structure a classroom debate, introduce the judicial process, or help students understand the nuanced boundaries between protected expression and dangerous speech in the digital age.