Law Commons^™

On Inmates And Friendship, Jared Deeds

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

That humanity both cherishes friendship and finds it to be fundamental for its own good should be reason enough to justify its legal protection. Yet, there is a serious deficiency of legal discourse on the rights and liberties of friends in America’s courts. In the absence of such discourse—perhaps partially because of it—friendship as a social institution experiences a lack of legal protection in the United States. Though all friends may be exposed to abuses as a result of deficient safeguards, inmates and their unincarcerated friends suffer with particular severity.

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Part I of this Note will further discuss the …

Playing The Unfair Game: Apostates, Abuse & Religious Arbitration, Thomas Floyd

William & Mary Law Review

This Note argues that the Bixler [v. Superior Court] approach should become the standard for evaluating the enforceability of religious arbitration against ex-members. Courts should not enforce agreements to religious arbitration against ex-members of a faith when the relevant conduct occurred after their religious affiliation ended. The First Amendment right of believers to leave their faith should prevail over the First Amendment right of churches to police their internal religious doctrine. Siding with the institutions on this issue allows them the power to exert control over apostates in perpetuity through an unintended synergy of the First Amendment and …

Serious Value, Prurient Appeal, And "Obscene" Books In The Hands Of Children, Todd E. Pettys

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Controversy has erupted across the country concerning sexually explicit books that are available to children in bookstores, schools, and libraries. Many have called for tough enforcement of obscenity laws, with some saying librarians and schoolteachers who distribute certain books to children should face jail time. Using four controversial books as examples, this Article takes today’s book wars as an opportunity to achieve two things. First, the Article explains the narrow circumstances in which the First Amendment permits the government to block the distribution of books to children due to concerns about the books’ prurient appeal. The Article’s second aim is …

Qualified Knowledge: The Case For Considering Actual Knowledge In Qualified Immunity Jurisprudence As It Relates To The First Amendment Right To Record, Carly Laforge

William & Mary Law Review

This Note argues that this particular finding of the Frasier court is both pragmatically and philosophically problematic. By design, the qualified immunity doctrine seeks to shield police officers from civil rights lawsuits. However, prioritizing assumed knowledge over actual knowledge in determining what qualifies as a clearly established constitutional right harms the citizens that law enforcement officers have sworn to protect and serve. While traditional delineations of clearly established rights have involved appeals to precedent, public policy concerns are also important considerations in the qualified immunity analysis. In this way, Frasier is especially concerning in that it prioritizes the total defense …