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)

Public employers' affirmative-action programs may be challenged for "reverse discrimination" under either Title VII or the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. (26 footnotes) (MLF)

The Supreme Court's finding that the University of Virginia acted unconstitutionally in denying funds to students for a Christian newspaper not directly affiliated with a church raises new questions about legal issues of church-state separation and the allocation of student fees. Some legal experts feel the ruling could spell the demise of campus…

Focuses on the operational meanings of the following terms--"handicapped individual,""otherwise qualified,""reasonable accommodation," and "essential functions of the job"--as developed primarily in federal court decisions concerned with employment issues associated with handicapped persons in public…

Argues that the record of the United States Supreme Court hardly warrants a view of the Court as a special protector of minorities. The idea of the Court as guardian of minority rights obscures the more fundamental and lasting role of the Court as protector of property rights. (SLD)

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in "Planned Parenthood" supported school officials who refused to publish certain advertisements in school-sponsored newspapers. Contends that school officials' desire to avoid any possible controversy was the underlying motive for the decision to not publish the advertisement. (MLF)

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Equal Access Act (EAA) had precedence over the state constitution under the Supremacy Clause. Examines that decision and considers its implications for the implementation of the EAA as well as other issues in church-state separation in education. (53 footnotes) (MLF)

School boards need to keep current on the status of graduation prayer. The "Weisman" decision said graduation prayers violated the First Amendment; the "Jones" decision would allow graduation ceremonies with student-led invocations and benedictions. Reviews these decisions to pinpoint the sources of confusion in subsequent…

Reviews recent federal appellate court cases dealing with legal issues involving random drug testing of students participating in extracurricular activities. Draws implications for school business officials and other educators. (PKP)

This conference paper analyzes the least restrictive environment (LRE) provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and reviews and compares the standards created by different Federal Circuit Court decisions on LRE. The following cases are analyzed: (1) Briggs v. Board of Education, which deferred to the public agency's…

Federal judge discusses role of federal courts in implementing laws concerning welfare of citizens; especially helping delivery of social services in state, mental and penal institutions. Gives various examples of real cases to illustrate his argument. Appeals to people working in social services to do their duty conscientiously. Based on speech…

In its 1988-89 term, the Supreme Court, dominated by a conservative 5-4 majority made possible by the addition of Justice Kennedy, issued a number of decisions of significance to school districts. These decisions of the Supreme Court's 1988-89 term are summarized in this study and organized by subject matter into five sections: (1) civil rights in…

An annotated bibliography lists 34 Supreme Court decisions since 1970 that have arisen in colleges and universities. They are organized according to the type of institution to which they appear to apply (public, general, private, and church-related), and according to their application to student or faculty affairs. The following decisions are…

Three recent federal court decisions dealt with the use of public university and public school facilities by student groups for religious activities. In "Widmar v. Vincent," the United States Supreme Court decided that the University of Missouri at Kansas City was not justified in its denial of permission to a registered student…

Supreme Court decisions tend to take the form of either (1) an act of justification or argumentation that defends the verdict of the communicator, or (2) a construction of a new symbolic reality that influences the world view of its audience. The "Roe vs. Wade" decision is an example of the merger of these two rhetorical functions. The…