This report discusses recent cases involving freedom of the press that have been heard before the Burger court of the United States Supreme Court. The report discerns a trend toward treating the press like an ordinary citizen; this is a reversal of the view of the Warren court that the First Amendment creates special rights for the press so that…

If the United States Supreme Court is to exercise its historic role as guardian of the fundamental freedoms flowing from the speech and press clauses of the first amendment, it is imperative that those basic freedoms be placed in a preferred position. The preferred position doctrine provides adequate safeguards for both speech and press guarantees…

Since its broadly protective decision in "Tinker," the Supreme Court has gradually narrowed the scope of student free speech rights. Examines the development of First Amendment rights in public schools, in particular those of high school journalists. Argues that the "Hazelwood" decision is flawed in several respects. Notes some…

The individual's right to privacy has evolved into a concept that can affect photojournalists' newsgathering efforts in nearly every state in the nation. In addition to the many states that have recognized the right of privacy through common or statutory laws, the United States Supreme Court has dealt with the issue of an invasion of privacy by…

First Amendment students were unhappy to see Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart retire because his voting record demonstrated a favorable attitude toward freedom of speech and press. His replacement, Sandra Day O'Connor, was predicted to be a conservative or moderate who probably would vote consistently with Stewart in other areas, but her…

Reviews Justice Brennan's rationale for imposing restraints on obscenity, the evolution of the "Roth" test to distinguish obscenity from protected speech, and his move away from the test. (FL)

Reports on the Nigerian Supreme Court's struggles with the problems of interpreting colonial sedition laws while protecting democratic freedoms. (FL)

Concludes that federal courts subpoena reporters less often and uphold subpoenas less often than do state courts. (FL)

Nine years after the 1972 Supreme Court ruling in *Branzburg v. Hayes" that journalists enjoy no constitutional privilege to withhold the names of sources and to conceal information from grand jury proceedings, a study was conducted to determine the courts' attitudes toward journalists' privilege and to test commonly held beliefs about its…

The foundations of the public's right to know what the government is doing and the limitations placed on that right are explored in this paper. The role of the press in furthering the people's right to know is also discussed. Sections in the paper deal with the following topics: (1) general and historical thought on the right to know; (2) the…

A study analyzed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell's court opinions on First Amendment issues that affect the daily work of journalists. The results showed that he preferred compromises, guidelines, and tests to either/or solutions. Because Powell sought to balance all interests, he developed no firm theoretical position on the First…

Examines two recent federal court decisions that dealt with the right of high school journalists to disseminate information concerning the sexual attitudes and proclivities of the student community. (GW)

Discusses the federal court cases of "Bethel School District v. Fraser" and "Kuhlmeier v. Hazelwood School District," which resulted in one win and one loss for freedom of student expression. (SRT)

Following "Tinker vs. Des Moines Community School District," the United States Supreme Court decision that assured First Amendment rights to secondary school students and teachers, California began experimenting with statutory guarantees of free expression for students at the high school and community college levels. Decisions issued by…

The purpose of this study was to determine the congruence of practices of the student press with the developing body of judicial law. A questionnaire was submitted to a random sample of principals, faculty advisors, and student editors in New York State high schools. The questionnaires were analyzed in terms of the legal criteria previously…