Federal court cases are examined in an effort to view recent First Amendment rights infringements which have occurred in Mississippi. Case law reinforces students' rights to wear same-sex outfits to school functions as well as to bring same-sex dates. Connection to a recent civil rights investigation by the NAACP into a north Mississippi middle…

Examines recent lower court rulings on students' First Amendment rights. The current disputes center on (1) requiring the flag salute; (2) banning symbols; (3) removing books from the curriculum; and (4) preventing the distribution of publications. Projects the Supreme Court's position should the issue again reach that level. (MLF)

The Connick vs. Myers Supreme Court decision regarding public employees' right to express themselves has been applied to public schools in two recent federal court cases. The rulings suggest school boards may discipline school employees for disputes over internal office matters but must tolerate their dissent over public matters. (DCS)

In 1982 in "Lubbock Civil Liberties Union v. Lubbock Independent School District," the Fifth Circuit Court ruled unconstitutional a school policy allowing meetings after school hours for moral, religious, or ethical purposes. Federal courts have struck down other similar policies. (Author/JM)

The "Bishop v. Aronov" case concerned an administrator's right to prohibit a professor's religious speech during class at a public university. According to the Eleventh Circuit, the university classroom is not considered a public forum; professors as public employees may be subject to restrictions placed on their curriculum. (87…

Analyzes the unwillingness of the federal courts to view the traditional braided hairstyle worn by American Indian students as worthy of protection under the Tinker "symbolic speech" doctrine. Examines the legacy of the Tinker doctrine for Indian students and presents an argument for expanding this precedent. (Author/MLF)

In "Mozert," fundamentalist parents claim that the reading curriculum interfered with their right to transmit religious values to their children. The district court fashioned an excusal scheme; however, the Sixth Circuit reversed this decision. Reviews the facts, analyzes points of law left unresolved, and discusses the broader…

In "Zobrest" and "Kiryas Joel" the Supreme Court considered the relationship between public and private school systems, and between church and state. Examines the situations of the cases and the opinions of the Supreme Court Justices in relation to them, and in relation to the 15 most recent Establishment Clause cases affecting…

Presents a framework for dealing with the issue of mandatory student activity fees at state universities. Reviews court decisions and proposes that student groups that engaged in any political activity during the prior academic year be listed and subject to students' checking off those groups that they wished to fund. (172 footnotes) (MLF)

In a case concerning a teenager charged with cross burning, the Supreme Court, in a 9-0 decision, ruled that a St. Paul, Minnesota, ordinance was unconstitutional. Summarizes Justice Scalia's opinion and three concurring opinions that reflect bitter disagreement among the justices. Discusses the meaning of this decision and its implications for…

The United States Supreme Court has refused to articulate a hierarchy among the guarantees of speech, press, assembly, and petition. The Court also has avoided specifying whether expression rights or safeguards against religious establishment are dominant. Addresses litigation indicating that free speech protections prevail when they collide with…

Federal courts have found speech regulations overbroad in suits against the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin System. Attempts to assess the theoretical justification and probable fate of broad speech regulations that have not been explicitly rejected by the courts. Concludes that strong arguments for broader regulation will…

By law and example, school boards must govern within scope of Bill of Rights. Cites West Virginia State Board of Education v Barnette, in which Supreme Court in 1943 upheld two Jehovah's Witness children's right to refuse to participate in daily flag salute ceremony. Urges schools to teach students principles of democracy and also of individual…

Examines message T-Shirts as a medium for student expression and the ability of public schools to regulate those messages. Predicts that as violence and insolence increase in schools, courts will probably continue to defer to school authorities and let them handle their own problems. (77 footnotes). (MLF)

Discusses history and purpose of state open-records laws. Surveys how parties make open-records requests, various causes of action, and sanctions for noncompliance. Examines how open-records requests related to district investigations can implicate the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. Attempts to find appropriate balance between public's…