Law Commons^™

Legal Research Using Technological Tools: Librarians' View, Lauren M. Collins, Susan Silver, Whitney Curtis

Law Faculty Contributions to Books

The technology revolution has impacted every aspect of our daily lives. It is hard to imagine a world without smartphones and the Internet. Where and how we access information has changed dramatically over the last decade. Gone are the days of traveling to the library check out books and read printed journal articles. No longer simply storehouses of print information, libraries but now serve as starting points for searching online information that can be be accessed anywhere, any time and on any device. Library research that used to take hours or days can now be done in minutes. Online materials …

The Law Of Social Quotas: An Examination Of Brazil’S Efforts For Greater Diversity In The Classroom, Benjamin Williams

In the Balance

No abstract provided.

Employment, Sexual Orientation And Religious Beliefs: Do Religious Educational Institutions Have A Protected Right To Discriminate In The Selection And Discharge Of Employees?, Ralph D. Mawdsley

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The life blood of religious educational institutions is their doctrinal statements and codes of conduct that set standards for employee and student life. The purpose of this paper is to examine the freedom of religious educational institutions to make employment decisions related to three homosexuality related areas: sexual orientation, same-sex sexual activity outside marriage, and same-sex marriage. At the core of the discussion is the basic question whether religious educational institutions have a protected right to enforce doctrinal statements or codes of conduct addressing one or more of these areas.

This paper will examine legal issues related to the ability …

The Supreme Court And The Pledge Of Allegiance: A Hollow Victory, Charles J. Russo, Ralph D. Mawdsley

CASAL Faculty Publications

In Elk Grove Unified School District v Newdow (Elk Grove)

the Supreme Court, in an 8–0 judgment, with three concurrences, upheld the words ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance. In light of the uproar caused by Elk Grove, this article is divided into three parts. After reviewing the history of the Pledge the second section examines the litigation involving the pledge, including Elk Grove in this regard. The article concludes with brief reflections on the meaning of Elk Grove.

Standard Of Care For Students With Disabilities: The Intersection Of Liability Under The Idea And Tort Theories, Ralph D. Mawdsley

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article explores issues of legal liability for school personnel where students with disabilities are injured in school settings or cause injuries to employees and other students in schools. While questions related to legal liability are varied, they tend to fall within two broad areas: standard of care relating to injuries to or by students; and, standard of care for employees working with students with or training others to work with students with disabilities. In both areas, the legal issue revolves around the concept of heightened standard of care, especially where framed by the language of students' IEPs (Individualized Education …

"Good Politics Is Good Government": The Troubling History Of Mayoral Control Of The Public Schools In Twentieth-Century Chicago, James (Jim) C. Carl

Educational Studies, Research, and Technology Department Faculty Publications

This article looks at urban education through the vantage point of Chicago's mayors. It begins with Carter H. Harrison II (who served from 1897 to 1905 and again from 1911 to 1915) and ends with Richard M. Daley (1989 to the present), with most of the focus on four long-serving mayors: William Hale Thompson (1915--23 and 1927--31), Edward Kelly (1933--47), Richard J. Daley (1955--76), and Harold Washington (1983--87). Mayors exercised significant leverage in the Chicago Public Schools throughout the twentieth century, making the history of Chicago mayors' educational politics relevant to the contemporary trend in urban education to give more …

The Tangled Web Of Plagiarism Litigation: Sorting Out The Legal Issues, Ralph D. Mawdsley

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The purpose of this article is to explore the increasing complexity of plagiarism litigation in the United States. A determination as to when attribution is necessary in order to avoid a charge of plagiarism raises questions of intent and subject matter specific questions of general knowledge, as well as constitutional and contractual questions of fairness, tort questions of defamation, and questions of fair use under copyright law or misrepresentation under the Lanham Act. Most of the reported cases still involve students who contest discipline from their respective academic institutions--discipline that can range from a course penalty to expulsion from the …

Equal Access To Public Education: An Examination Of The State Constitutional And Statutory Rights Of Nonpublic Students To Participate In Public School Programs On A Part-Time Basis In North Carolina And Across The Nation, John Plecnik

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article argues that private and homeschool students in North Carolina have a state constitutional and statutory right to participate in public school programs on a part-time basis. This right is based on the North Carolina Constitution's explicit acknowledgment of nonpublic education and guarantees of equal protection and equal access to public schools. This right is also based on state statutes that mirror the wording and spirit of the state constitution's guarantees. Since the North Carolina Supreme Court has held that equal access to public schools is a fundamental right under the state constitution, this right can only be restricted …

Access To Public School Facilities For Religious Expression By Students, Student Groups And Community Organizations: Extending The Reach Of The Free Speech Clause, Ralph Mawdsley

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The purpose of this article is to examine how courts, in their more recent decisions, have addressed the religious speech claims of individual students, student groups, and community organizations.

School Board Control Over Education And A Teacher's Right To Privacy, Ralph Mawdsley

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Privacy as a protected right for employees in the United States is grounded in several constitutional provisions. Most generally, the notion of privacy is associated with confidentiality of information , which is protected under both the Liberty Clause of the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment and the Fourth Amendment's protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. However, an expanded understanding of privacy can find protection under the concepts of the right of association protected under the Liberty Clause and the First Amendment, expression of ideas under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment, and practice of one's religious beliefs under the Free …

Why A Fundamental Right To A Quality Education Is Not Enough, James G. Wilson

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article relies upon the political and economic analysis of such great thinkers as Aristotle and Rousseau to understand and normatively evaluate constitutional caselaw in general and education cases in particular. The article's title contains its conclusion: a judicially created right to a quality education is a laudable, but possibly counterproductive and definitely insufficient condition, for creating a humane constitutional system. The rest of society needs to do far more to protect the average citizen and worker from the ever-ravenous ruling class. All the edification in the world will not mean much if there are only a few decent jobs …

Religious Clubs In The Public Schools: What Happened After Mergens?, Dena S. Davis

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The Equal Access Act, upheld by the Supreme Court in Board of Education v. Mergens, requires public secondary schools to allow access to religiously based student groups on the same basis as other student clubs. Mergens presents many challenges to civil libertarians, who may find their traditional sympathies aligned on both sides of the issue. This article seeks to throw light on some of those issues by reporting on a research project that ascertained the actual effect of the Act on public high schools in Ohio.