Reviews Supreme Court decisions involving conflict between the individual's freedom of religion and the state's interest in compulsory education, with particular emphasis on the implications of Yoder v. Wisconsin and its legal antecedents. (JG)

Discusses the legal and social implications of the Supreme Court's decision in Planned Parenthood v. Danforth and argues that Justice Blackmun's view of the rights of minors poses a real threat to family life and traditional parent-child relationships. Available from the American Bar Association at 77 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606;…

A comment on two court cases gives an overview of the eleventh-amendment analysis, used by some federal courts in suits against state colleges and universities, that argues that the institutions are alter-egos of the state and independent to face suit in federal court. (MSE)

Evaluates the Supreme Court's decisions relating to education during the past few years and the effect that the retirement of Justice Lewis Powell will have on the balance of the Supreme Court. Discusses nominee Robert Bork and his possible effect if he becomes a member of the Supreme Court. (MD)

Presents a lesson plan designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop and extend their conceptual understanding of the liberties found in the amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Outlines instructional procedures for a two class period presentation. (GEA)

Presents a speech which discusses private funding for government operations, secret policies, and the doctrine of plausible denial. States that the Iran-Contra affair illustrates the failure of the educational system to educate patriotic, intelligent persons in the nation's most fundamental constitutional arrangements, such as the appropriations…

The U. S. Constitution's treatment of women and blacks is generating heated controversy among historians, with some scholars charging that its framers ignored those groups and that subsequent reformers have gained too little for them, too late. (MSE)

Assesses Congress's role and development. Concludes that the Constitution's framers designed institutions well-matched to the Constitution's most fundamental purposes. If those purposes remain desirable, changes should be kept marginal. Some marginal changes are suggested. (PS)

Presents a lesson which can provide elementary students with an opportunity to compare fair and unfair trials. Stating that the lesson works best if an attorney is used as a resource person, the plan includes a short play about a Salem, Massachusetts witch trial and follow-up questions to stimulate student discussion. (GEA)

Presents a case study involving students in the issue of separation of powers as applied to the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act. Students examine the case of Jagdish Rai Chadha, an immigrant threatened with deportation whose problems resulted in 1983 U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring legislative veto provision of Immigration and…

This article provides background on the voir dire (jury selection) process, explaining its importance to the outcome of a trial. Offers a simulation experience which has students take the role of lawyers interviewing 29 prospective jurors for an alcohol-related traffic accident involving a 20-year-old driver. Profiles for prospective jurors and…

A new interpretation of the Copyright Clause of the Constitution supports the claim that it is unconstitutional for: (1) Congress to permit copyright by federal contractors on works commissioned by federal contract for compensation, and (2) the Copyright Office to register a copyright application from such a federal contractor. (Author/CLB)

The Mathews decision cuts across several basic principles: the right of persons injured by unconstitutional government conduct to an adequate remedy; the power of Federal courts to adjudicate constitutional claims; and the right of litigants to petition for redress of their grievances. (Author/RDN)

Herbert Storing taught students at the University of Chicago about the Constitution by using a textual rather than the usual thematic basis. Students read, discussed, and analyzed the entire Constitution. This textual approach serves to undermine the dominant belief that the Constitution is only what the judges say it is. (RM)