CASE Library
Explore The Issues that Matter.
We excitedly invite you to browse, search, and explore our newly redesigned library of over 300 case studies which render some of the most complex and controversial moral and political issues of our time. These cases were formerly used for official NHSEB competitions at the Regional, Divisional, and National Championship levels. They are freely available for public use under Creative Commons licenses.
The NHSEB Case Library is an excellent tool for competitive preparation, internal or intramural competition, or beyond the context of the Ethics Bowl activity completely—as a classroom resource for Grades 9-12 and beyond.
Featured Cases
NAVIGATING THE LIBRARY
NHSEB’s Case Library is now fully browsable by individual case, or by Case Set—using the filters below. Or, if you already know a bit about what you’re looking for, the entire library of over 300 Ethics Bowl cases is newly indexed, referenced, and searchable by title, topic, keyword, year, and category. Each individual case entry contains the full text of the case and discussion questions as they originally appeared for competitive use, all references assembled in hyperlinked footnotes, and additional contextual resources curated by NHSEB HQ.
CASE SET COLLECTION
REGIONAL CASE SETS
2023-2024 | 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019
2017-2018 | 2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014 | 2012-2013
National CASE SETS
2023-2024 | 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019
2017-2018 | 2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014 | 2012-2013
FIND AN ETHICS BOWL CASE
ATTRIBUTION AND CITATION
All National High School Ethics Bowl cases are the intellectual property of the Parr Center for Ethics, and all are freely available for public use under Creative Commons licenses once retired from use in NHSEB competitions. This library represents thousands of hours of work from our Contributing Authors, Editors, and others. Please do not reproduce NHSEB cases or sets—in part or in whole—without attribution, or modify the text of individual cases or sets. If you reproduce or make reference to NHSEB cases from this library (e.g., in classroom materials, academic papers, etc.), please attribute and/or cite those materials:
National High School Ethics Bowl (Ed.), <YEAR>. “<Case Title>.” National High School Ethics Bowl Case Library. UNC Parr Center for Ethics: Chapel Hill, NC. http://nhseb.org/case-library
Browse The Library
Operation Paperclip
In the aftermath of World War II, seeking to gain a military advantage over the Soviet Union, United States intelligence smuggled over 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians into the U.S. in a covert programed called Operation Paperclip. Some of these former Nazis were involved in despicable war crimes, yet the operation led to the design of rockets putting America on the moon and might have allowed the United States the edge in the Cold War. Is it ever morally permissible to excuse moral evils for the sake of scientific or social progress?
Dining Out During a Pandemic
A pastime of Megan and Andy's before the COVID-19 pandemic was to explore new restaurants. When COVID hit, and the government shut down all non-essential businesses, they were unable to do this. When restrictions started lifting, Megan and Andy continued to explore while following safety precautions. Megan was worried that what they were doing was too risky, putting the workers and their families in danger. Andy assured her that what they were doing was ok: with so many unemployed, it was good that people were going back to work and to support the businesses that did not permanently close.
TikTok Infamous
TikTok, a social media app, has quickly risen to be one of the most popular social media platforms among younger generations. However, many different countries, such as the United States and India, have taken measures to ban the app because of its ties to the Chinese Government. Because Tik-Tok is owned by a Chinese company, the Totalitarian regime of China can demand access to user data gathered by TikTok, making TikTok an alleged threat to national security in the eyes of many lawmakers.
Self-Interested Voting
Fang is considered a wealthy professional making about 130K a year. It is election day and she still cannot decide on who to vote for. Governor Date plans to implement a tax increase on wealthy civilians, as well as make healthcare more accessible for everyone. Senator Full plans to make financials easier on wealthy civilians, by decreasing tax on them. Personally, Fang benefits more from Full, but she knows generally and morally she should vote for Date. Should Fang vote on what would benefit her more or what would benefit most of America?
Drawing the Line on Gerrymandering
A longstanding complaint about gerrymandering is that the politicians in office during the redistricting process frequently engage in drawing maps that help themselves and their political allies retain seats or gain additional power. Some argue that critics underestimate the force of larger cultural and demographic trends in driving politically lopsided districts and thus gerrymandering isn’t a problem. What interests do citizens have in fair electoral maps? Are there any interests that all citizens have in maintaining fair electoral maps?
China’s Social Credit System
On June 14, 2014, China’s State Council announced a plan to establish a social credit system, which would assign “social credit scores” to citizens based on their behavior. Chinese State Council say being rewarded for good behavior will make citizens want to be better, but critics view this as an invasion of privacy and personal freedom. How can a community balance its interest in encouraging its members to engage in socially desirable behaviors with community membersâ interests in individual privacy and liberty?
The Cases for and Against Reparations
Should Black Americans receive reparations for slavery and/or continuing discrimination? Does a person need to have cause a harm in order to be morally accountable for that harm, or is it enough that they benefit for the legacy of that harm?
Online Privacy
CISPA and CISA are laws that call for government agencies and businesses to share information about cybersecurity threats with one another and provide liability protection to private companies that share cyber threat indicators with the government. When is it morally acceptable for companies to share user information? When can the government infringe online privacy rights?
Contraception Controversy
It the birth control mandate of the ACA a violation of religious liberty or a necessary component of full and equal healthcare? Should the religious beliefs of business owners' supersede those of employees?
Tobacco 21
Given the health and societal benefits, should the government change the age at which citizens can purchase tobacco to 21? Should happen to people between 18 and 21 be "grandfathered" into the law? At what age can individuals make decisions for themselves?
Technology’s Graveyards
Millions of tons of electronics are discarded each year and end up in developing nations, where they hurt the environment. Is it morally permissible for nations to sell potentially hazardous e-waste to willing buyers in developing nations? Do manufacturers have a moral obligation to create products with longer lifespans, even if they would earn less money as a result? How should manufacturers, governments, and consumers solve this problem?
Health and Human Services Mandate
The US government requires that insurance providers cover sterilization, abortion, and contraceptives. The mandate exempts churches and religious organizations, but not church-affiliated nonprofits. Is this moral or immoral?