On Common Ground

City Hall comes under siege when an unemployed worker blames the government for his legal and financial difficulties and takes revenge. Theme: Why government is necessary; the purpose it serves.

Law enforcement personnel and other city officials attempt to infiltrate a telemarketing boiler room scam that preys on elderly immigrants. Theme: The U.S. Constitution as the basis for the rule of law.

The city is polarized when a proposed highway project threatens homes in the Latino section of the city. Theme: Individual rights versus the public or common good.

When compliance with federal law threatens the city with financial disaster, the city comes into direct conflict with the disabled community and the judicial branch of the federal government. Theme: Separation of powers among the three branches of government; checks and balances.

When an avowed anti-immigrant extremist plans to speak at a rally, the city must grapple with some difficult freedom-of-speech issues. Theme: Freedom of expression; immigration.

A law firm headed by two immigrants is divided over the prospects of representing someone who espouses extreme anti-immigrant sentiments. Theme: Freedom of speech; equal protection under the law.

An investigative reporter gains information that could lead to the conviction of an accused rapist, but only if the reporter is willing to divulge the source of her information. Theme: Freedom of the press.

Following the drug-related death of a high school student, local law enforcement officials take questionable measures to bring those responsible to justice. Theme: Due process of law; limited government.

An immigrant businessman who has been physically assaulted by a member of an influential family seeks justice from the legal system. Theme: Right to privacy; criminal due process.

When a young man from a wealthy family goes on trial for assault, the truth emerges from an unlikely source. Theme: The judicial system.

The race for a City Council seat causes deep divisions, especially among black residents of the district. Theme: Popular sovereignty; the right to vote, hold office, and participate in the political process.

Flagrant abuses in an inner-city apartment building lead to charges of corruption in City Hall. Theme: Limited government; consent of the governed.

As facts about the deplorable conditions in an inner-city apartment building become public, citizens organize in opposition to the City Council member who owns the property. Theme: The contract of trust between elected officials and voters.

Community tensions run high when an immigrant's controversial small business ignites the anger of neighboring business owners. Theme: Economic rights.

While the city is embroiled in a civil rights controversy involving City Hall maintenance workers, a TV news anchor fights a civil rights battle of her own. Theme: Diversity; civil liberties; equal rights.