Presents a lesson examining the historical background of the U.S. government's relocation and internment of Japanese-Americans and Japanese aliens during World War II. Asks secondary students to consider both the legal and moral dimensions of the relocation effort and current compensation arguments. Includes handouts and suggestions for role…

Discusses the unique legal status of American Indians as citizens of tribal governments, and traces their struggle for civil rights. Examines provisions for in the U.S. Constitution dealing with the Indians, the military conquest of Indian tribes, and Indian participation in the civil rights movement. Includes a list of books on American Indian…

Examines effects of the Supreme Court decision, "Regents of the University of California V. Bakke" on Black and Hispanic enrollment in medical and law schools. Uses time-series analysis on aggregate enrollment trends between 1968 and 1987. Finds decision had little impact but notes decline in these applications beginning in 1984. (NL)

Recounts an incident where a sociologist heard stories challenging violations concerning toxic chemicals. Lawyers advised that corroborating these stories would obligate the sociologist to inform the authorities, thereby jeopardizing his sources. Discusses the ineffectuality of the American Sociological Associations' code of ethics and legal…

Examines one of the least understood institutions of U.S. politics, the Electoral College. Discusses the historical circumstances resulting in its creation as well as the current structure and membership. Provides arguments for and against continuation of the Electoral College. (MJP)

Examines the issue of a professor's First Amendment right to academic freedom vs. a student's right to an effective learning environment free from sexual harassment in a 1996 case, Cohen vs. San Bernardino Valley College. Also explored is the right of a public employee to free speech. Recommendations are offered to college administrators on…

This paper outlines and explains legal issues related to race-based affirmative action, which is defined as race-conscious action designed to overcome manifest racial imbalance. The paper highlights the history of affirmative action and its following objectives: (1) to overcome the effects of past discrimination; (2) to ensure against future…

Search and seizure in the public schools has long been a problem for both school authorities and law-enforcement officers. Students have also been known to have been deprived of their constitutional rights. Much of the problem stems from a lack of clarity in the application of the Fourth Amendment to the school setting. This monograph was written…

Designed to help students better understand the controversial issue of affirmative action, this teacher's guide supplements the thirty-minute instructional videotape of the same name. The videotape explores the history of affirmative action in the United States, including its successes, failures, and future. The videotape and the teacher's guide…

This court action, brought by taxpayers and parents of children attending schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), asserts that the district unequally allocates instructional staff, facilities, and finances in a manner that discriminates against poor and minority students, in violation of the California Constitution. The…

To assist school personnel in understanding current application of the law, provide an awareness of rights and responsibilities, motivate educators to translate basic concepts into actual practice, and generate an interest in further study of the law, this text is presented. Legal issues involving the rights of students and teachers in daily…

The past and current status of the student activity fee is reviewed from the perspectives of the legislature, state agency or state board of control, case law, and institutional trends. The analysis is based upon four national studies, a review of case law, and a campus model for the administration of student activity fees. Various states have…

This booklet provides prospective and current Catholic school board members with basic information concerning civil law as it affects schools in general and Catholic schools in particular. Chapter 1 describes the two main types of Catholic school boards: consultative boards, in which the pastor of the diocese has final authority to accept the…

This chapter reviews court decisions in education during 1986 that addressed issues related to student rights and the jurisdiction of schools with respect to pupils. The first section of the review covers the issues of public school assignment, tuition, transportation, and compulsory attendance. This is followed by short discussions of cases…

This teacher's guide is part of a curriculum designed for infusion into secondary U.S. history courses to help students explore purposes of American law. In the curriculum students study about legal decision making during the American colonial period, explore methods our legal system uses to establish facts, learn that individual liberty is a…