Educator Seminar: The 4th, 5th, & 6th Amendments: A Seminar on Criminal Procedure for HS & MS Educators

Many citizens are broadly familiar with the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable search and seizure. The Fifth Amendment covers an array of rights, including the rights against double jeopardy, to be free from self-incrimination, and to due process of law. And, the Sixth Amendment ensures that a person accused of a crime has, among other rights, a speedy trial, a right to confront the witnesses against them, and to be tried by a jury. 

But how do these Amendments work and when do they apply? Is it like what we see on TV shows, in movies, or hear on true crime podcasts? And why, as citizens, should we be so concerned with the protections guaranteed by these Amendments? I invite you to join me on a deep dive into how each of these Amendments is put into practice to provide essential protections that apply not just to criminal defendants but to all U.S. Citizens. We will also see how the United States Supreme Court’s rulings have interpreted these Amendments over time and how societal changes have presented challenges for how these Amendments will be interpreted in the future. 

About Kendra Johnson

Kendra Johnson currently serves as an Assistant Public Defender in Fairfax, VA.  Before returning to public defense, she taught Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Liberty University School of Law. She has also served on the court-appointed list for the city of Hampton, volunteered as pro-bono counsel for the Norfolk Federal Defender’s office, and worked as a judicial law clerk for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.  

Ms. Johnson has an LL.M. (Master of Laws) from Howard University School of Law, and she obtained her J.D. from Liberty University School of Law magna cum laude. Ms. Johnson received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from James Madison University where she also played on the softball team.  

Outside of her legal career, Ms. Johnson has deep ties to Montpelier as one of her ancestors was Benjamin McDaniel, who purchased his freedom before the Civil War, after being enslaved as a driver and courier for James and Dolley Madison.