The P.A.T.C.H. Law Program had its beginnings in the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District in 1969. From a simple start, law studies has grown tremendously in the Northport schools. The P.A.T.C.H. Program's Law-Related Education curriculum has been infused throughout the district's K-12 instructional efforts.

In 1978, P.A.T.C.H. introduced an American History Through Constitutional Law Course of Study to 11th grade students as an option in lieu of the traditional U.S. History and Government or AP American History Course of Study. This new teacher/student created instructional program complied with and enhanced the New York State Regents 11th grade Social Studies mandates. The Con Law course brought history and the Constitution to life in the classroom. The course has become enormously popular throughout the whole school community and has had consistently achieved exemplary results on the 11th grade Social Studies Regents among all its students.

In 1989, staff and students in the P.A.T.C.H. Con Law Program, in partnership with the Law, Youth & Citizenship Program of the New York State Bar Association and State Education Department, created a resource text that summarized the 22 Supreme Court cases then cited in the U.S. History and Government state syllabus. Since 1989, 24,000 copies of this student-authored constitutional casebook have been provided free by the Law, Youth & Citizenship Program to students and teachers throughout New York State.

In 1998, the State Education Department publicized a new Scope and Sequence for the 11th grade U.S. History and Government Course of Study. This second edition of a constitutional casebook responds to the new 11th grade Social Studies Core Curriculum by reviewing and summarizing all the Supreme Court cases mentioned in the new 11th grade Social Studies curriculum. The casebook has been prepared by Northport High School students involved in the Northport's K-12 P.A.T.C.H Law Program, in partnership with the Law, Youth & Citizenship Program of the New York State Bar Association and State Education Department.

It will provide teachers and students in grades 7, 8, 11 & 12 with a summary review of all cases mentioned in the new 11th grade curriculum and over 40 additional cases that support a better understanding of the history of the United States.

The P.A.T.C.H. students and staff and LYC staff have enjoyed the challenge that this project has provided them. We hope the casebook will become a resource students and teachers will use to better understand the role that law, the Supreme Court of the United States and the Constitution of the United States have played in history.