Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled in "Davis" that a student can sue for damages if school officials know a student is being sexually harassed but fail to intervene. (MLF)

Asserts that the federal government should adopt a centralized governmental structure for the privacy protection of personal information and data. Discusses the roles of federal law, federal agencies, and the judiciary; the concept of information privacy; the impact of current technologies; and models of centralized government structures for…

Argues that graduation prayer is unconstitutional because it violates the Establishment Clause, but the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment entitles a valedictorian giving a commencement speech to discuss religion and even to express religious beliefs as the student's own, private beliefs. Summarizes court decisions. (MLF)

Compares the Supreme Court ruling in "Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith," involving the denial of unemployment compensation to two employees discharged because they ingested peyote, to "Wisconsin v. Yoder," mandating exemption to Amish parents of the state's uniformly applied compulsory…

Examines the bases for and ramifications of the Supreme Court's decision to allow the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), on behalf of plaintiffs alleging discrimination in tenure decisions, to compel universities to disclose previously confidential peer review materials. (86 references) (MLF)

Reviews the efforts of Oklahoma to comply with the 1969 Supreme Court decision, "Adams v Richardson," which required states to desegregate traditionally White educational institutions. Concludes that Oklahoma has failed to increase the number of minority students in institutions of higher education but has institutionalized the…

Outlines an upper elementary lesson in which students examine the judicial branch and the power of judicial review. Uses an actual case, "Torcaso v. Watkins," to demonstrate how the U.S. Supreme Court used its power of judicial review to strike down an unconstitutional state law. Provides discussion questions and optional activities. (LS)

The Supreme Court's 1985 decision regarding reimbursement of private school tuition to parents, in accordance with Public Law 94-142, has raised several new issues that lower courts have since dealt with, such as costs of related services, use of nonapprpoved facilities, requirement for prior school district evaluation, and others. (Author/PB)

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving three competing interests--the university, students, and commercial vendors. Examines lower court decisions in the case along with other jurisdictions that have specifically addressed the issues of commercial solicitation on campuses. (MLF)

The Supreme Court's landmark 1988 ruling that the "disparate impact" theory could be used to challenge as discriminatory an employer's reliance on the subjective evaluations of supervisors in hiring, promotion, and salary decisions is discussed. (MSE)

A federal judge's specifications for desegregating Mississippi's state colleges are excerpted from a recent court ruling. Issues addressed include the state's formula for financing colleges, whether the case should focus on students or institutions, the missions of historically black colleges and predominantly white institutions, and campus…

Discusses reasons why the "Lee v. Weisman" Supreme Court decision that held unconstitutional a Rhode Island school policy for prayer at a junior high school commencement does not extend to the university level. Concludes that an appropriately worded commencement prayer could pass the three-part "Lemon" threshold and not violate…

The Supreme Court will not consider an appeal of a lower-court ruling invalidating a black-only scholarship program at the University of Maryland at College Park. Reaction among colleges and universities is mixed; many are seeking ways for scholarship programs to favor minorities without excluding whites. (MSE)

Reviews 18 criminal cases decided by state appellate courts that have applied standards set forth by U.S. Supreme Court in "New Jersey v. T.L.O" which defined extent to which public school officials could constitutionally search students and their property. Contends Supreme Court made it possible for state courts to practically expunge…

Examines the issue of whether implementation of the Equal Access Act would violate the constitutions of some states that require a stricter separation of church and state than the federal Constitution. (MLF)