When the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 was amended, despite President Ford's veto, expectations for improved access to federal agency records were high. This report details the manner in which information seekers, particularly members of the media, were deterred from using the act by nine loopholes in the 1966 law. In addition, the process…

In a speech given to judges, public officials, law teachers, lawyers, and students at the East China Institute of Politics and Law, Shanghai, the author discusses the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution made possible energetic government by majority rule, while also securing individual rights in their appropriate sphere. Not only does the…

Arguments presented against securing computer programs by copyright are centered on the question of whether computer programs qualify under the U.S. Constitutional meaning as "works of authorship," which may be protected by copyright. The possibility that the protection of computer programs by copyright might have an undesirable impact…

Explores the concept of separation of powers in terms of recent conflicts between the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government. Points out that what the Supreme Court has said about separation of powers in the domestic context may complicate resolution of more serious problems in foreign affairs. (BSR)

This article traces the progress of U.S. political thought and economic development over the last two centuries. Although the psychological realism of the Founders predicted much, and has served the nation well, modern needs surpass those of a small and distant national government. (PS)

Legal problems in the constitutional protection of the press are addressed in this commentary of the right to know. Emphasized are court rulings of prior constraint. The desirability of allowing courts to judge communications before they are made, at least as a matter of first amendment theory, is questioned. (LBH)

Noting that seldom in American history has a president had the potential opportunity to appoint a majority to the Supreme Court as does Ronald Reagan and that scholars and columnists claim that First Amendment freedoms of the press have been eroding with little public notice over the past few years, this paper explores the prognosis for press…

The issues of prior restraint and press censorship are examined in this paper, which focuses on the 1970 Williams v. O'Brien court case. The paper discusses the litigation, in which Robert F. Williams, as an American citizen living in Peking, China, sued the United States Postmaster General over the banning of the May 1967 issue of "The…

This report illustrates a range of options for Congressional action in nine principal areas of public policy related to infertility: (1) collecting data on reproductive health; (2) preventing infertility; (3) information to inform and protect consumers; (4) providing access to infertility services; (5) reproductive health of veterans; (6) transfer…

This comparative analysis of the constitutional status of freedom of speech in Great Britain and the United States focuses on four speech-related offenses--seditious libel, defamatory libel, blasphemous libel, and group libel or incitment to racial hatred. The analysis concentrates on the profound and rapid changes that issues related to freedom…

This lesson provides a simulation in which upper elementary and middle school students establish classroom routines, participate in decision-making activities, improve their understanding of the Constitutional Convention, and differentiate among the three branches of government. (BSR)

Reviews case law, constitutional principles, and early American writings which deal with the idea of private property. Concludes that, in the future, the issues of laissez-fare capitalism, government regulation, and the welfare state will require further clarification of our conception of private property. (JDH)

Offers a lesson designed to help students recognize a key philosophical principle embodied in the U.S. Constitution: that the consent of the governed is the ultimate source of authority in our political system. (JDH)

Examines the changing realities that require new policies to promote the First Amendment, to evaluate existing government programs designed to promote the First Amendment, and to propose affirmative actions designed to protect First Amendment values. Available from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento, CA 95817; reprint…