Reactions to the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and debate over the president's replacement nomination, Judge John Roberts, Jr., of the D.C. Circuit, dominated this summer's Supreme Court recess. Subsequently, after Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's death on September 3, 2005, President Bush nominated Roberts for the chief justice…

This article examines the effects of the "Acton" decision, a Supreme Court ruling that upheld random urinalysis of secondary-school students who participate in extracurricular athletics. The paper focuses on cases involving general (mass) searches, "medical assessment" searches, strip searches, and drug testing. Although the…

Discusses the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' rewriting of its earlier decision in "Horton v. Goose Creek Independent School District" of Baytown (Texas), involving the use of dogs in school drug and liquor searches. Compares the decision with other circuits' conflicting rulings and suggests guidelines for using dogs. (RW)

A case involving a strip-search of two second-grade girls in Talledega, Alabama, was dismissed with an eight-to-three vote by the 11th Circuit Court. The court issued an opinion on only one question in the case: whether the employees involved were entitled to "qualified immunity." Advises administrators to be cautious and permit strip…

This paper presents court cases for the purpose of updating current knowledge on search and seizure of students in the school setting. These cases focus on the balance and interplay between students' Fourth Amendment rights and school administrators' obligations to maintain order and discipline in the schools. Part of this obligation implies…

Provides a moot court activity in which secondary students re-enact the U.S. Supreme Court case "California v. Greenwood," concerning the exclusionary rule and the privacy of a citizen's trash. Students role-play Supreme Court justices and attorneys to gain an understanding of how appellate courts operate. (LS)

Traces legal balance in "Tinker" between Constitutional rights of students and caveat that these rights were secure only as exercise did not "interfere" with disciplinary processes of school. Cites changing political landscape; free exercise and establishment of religion; and search and seizure. Concludes that students appear…

Public school principals and teachers have a compelling need to understand student rights when teaching constitutional principles that apply to students. This book seeks to help both students and educators understand those rights. The work concerns itself with the fundamental federal constitutional rights of public school students. A study of the…

A review of 1977 cases that involved students and institutions of higher education indicates that students seem to be more concerned with their rights as educational consumers. The majority of cases concern controversies focusing on classroom and academic evaluation and treatment of students; receipt of various forms of financial aid; use of…