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Full-Text Articles in State and Local Government Law
Privacy Lost: Comparing The Attenuation Of Texas's Article 1, Section 9 And The Fourth Amendment., Kimberly S. Keller
Privacy Lost: Comparing The Attenuation Of Texas's Article 1, Section 9 And The Fourth Amendment., Kimberly S. Keller
St. Mary's Law Journal
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution requires that all searches and seizures be reasonable. Article I, Section 9 of the Texas Constitution mirrors its federal counterpart, requiring reasonableness in regard to intrusive governmental action. In examining these texts, both the federal and state provisions are comprised of two independent clauses: (1) the Reasonableness Clause, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures; and (2) the warrant clause, which provides that warrants may issue only upon a showing of probable cause. Both the federal and Texas constitutions include explicit language regulating the government’s right to intrude on a person’s privacy. This …
Fair Labor Standards Act And Sovereign Immunity: Unlocking The Courthouse Door For Texas State Employees., Melinda Herrera
Fair Labor Standards Act And Sovereign Immunity: Unlocking The Courthouse Door For Texas State Employees., Melinda Herrera
St. Mary's Law Journal
Unless Texas expressly waives its Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity, its state employees will not have similar legal recourse and protection as those available to private employees. As in many other states, a party may not sue the State of Texas without its consent. Thus, in the absence of constitutional or statutory provisions to the contrary, a state may claim sovereign immunity against any suit brought by a private party in both federal and state court. As a result, the Eleventh Amendment effectively precludes private individuals from suing a state in both federal and state court for violating a federal statute …
Religion In Public Schools: Let Us Pray - Or Not., Carolyn Hanahan, David M. Feldman
Religion In Public Schools: Let Us Pray - Or Not., Carolyn Hanahan, David M. Feldman
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Essay addresses judicial interpretation and application of the religious protections of students in public schools. Part II addresses the evolution of the law governing prayer in public schools, including the creation of judicial tests utilized in determining whether a school district has impeded the rights of students in the area of religion. Part III examines the application of these tests to various activities, including a discussion of the disparity in judicial interpretation with respect to the permissibility of prayer at public school functions. This Essay concludes with a discussion analyzing the effect of the recent United States Supreme Court …
Private Property And Russia's Leap Of Faith., Douglas R. Haddock
Private Property And Russia's Leap Of Faith., Douglas R. Haddock
St. Mary's Law Journal
Popular notions of property are enshrined in constitutional protections which seem to make quite clear society’s emphasis on the individual’s preeminence in matters of property. Americans have never been able to accept the “socialist ownership” notions of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries as a viable scheme of property. It is probably irrefutable that the application of socialist ownership principles in the Soviet Union has been less efficient than the American model of private ownership. Yet, it is reactionary to entirely condemn the idea of socialist ownership and conclude the downfall of the Soviet Union proved the “rightness” of …
The Evolution Of Government Liability Under Section 1983., Christopher J.M. Pettit
The Evolution Of Government Liability Under Section 1983., Christopher J.M. Pettit
St. Mary's Law Journal
The Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides in order to enforce the law, Congress shall have the power to pass enabling legislation. In the exercise of this power, Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1871, to implement the prohibition of slavery as required by the Thirteenth Amendment. Although the Thirteenth Amendment abolished the institution of slavery, discriminatory actions by private citizens remained prevalent. During the period following reconstruction, congressional legislation shifted focus from prohibiting state action to prohibiting the actions of private individuals who violated the civil liberties of others. Through the passage of the Civil Rights …