First Amendment Commons^™

Constitutional Law- Freedom Of Religion- Tuition Payments To Parochial Schools Violate Fourteenth Amendment, William S. Bach

Michigan Law Review

Because defendant school district did not maintain a high school within the school district, tuition payments were made, as provided by statute, to the high schools attended by pupils residing within the district. The parents of each student selected the high school to be attended. As a result of this program, some tuition payments were made to high schools operated by the Roman Catholic Church. Plaintiff taxpayer sought in a declaratory judgment a determination of the validity of tuition payments made to Catholic high schools under the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Vermont. The court of chancery held …

The Legislative Process And The Rule Of Law: Attempts To Legislate Taste In Moral And Political Beliefs, Samuel D. Estep

Michigan Law Review

In a nutshell, the topic of this paper is "Comstockery and the Bowdlerizing of Ideas." The thesis here asserted is that the Rule of Law is violated when legislatures succumb to modern attempts by the often pathologically-motivated zealot legally to freeze current tastes in moral and political beliefs. The relationship between taste statutes and the seemingly esoteric topic, "The Legislative Process and the Rule of Law," is based on the premise that the maximum possible degree of intellectual freedom for each individual is an essential ingredient in the legal system of a civilized society.

Constitutional Law - Judicial Determination Of Constitutional Questions - The Necessity Of Explicit Authorization Of Administrative Officers To Take Actions Which Limit First Amendment Freedoms, Walter R. Allan

Michigan Law Review

Appellant applied for renewal of his radio operator's license but refused to complete an FCC form relating to past and present affiliations with the Communist Party and other organizations which advocate the violent overthrow of the United States Government. At that time, and later in a hearing granted by the FCC, appellant relied upon the first amendment to justify his refusal. Subsequently the FCC denied his application. On appeal to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, held, affirmed, one judge dissenting. Pursuant to its power to grant licenses in the public interest,1 the FCC may impose …

Constitutional Law - Separation Of Church And State - Bible Reading In The Public Schools, Henry B. Pearsall

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiffs, as parents of children in the public school system, sought to enjoin and have declared unconstitutional the practice of reading aloud to students each day ten verses of the Holy Bible as required by a Pennsylvania statute. The plaintiffs contended that this practice constituted an establishment of religion and a prohibition of the free exercise thereof and was therefore a violation of rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. By a three-judge district court, held, for plaintiffs. The statute violated the United States Constitution because the Bible is essentially a religious book and the …

Meiklejohn: Political Freedom, Paul G. Kauper

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Political Freedom. By Alexander Meiklejohn

Constitutional Law - Congressional Investigation Of Political Activity-Watkins V. United States Re-Examined, Avrum M. Gross S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

It is the function of this comment to examine the traditional scope and limitations of congressional investigations, with particular emphasis on these two cases.

Constitutional Law- Civil Rights - Union Use Of Dues For Political Action, Paul Hanke

Michigan Law Review

Defendant unions under the authority of section 2, Eleventh of the Railway Labor Act obtained union shop agreements from defendant railroads. Non-union employees sought to enjoin enforcement of the agreements because the unions used periodic dues, fees, and assessments to support political doctrines and candidates opposed by plaintiffs. The trial court dismissed for failure to state a cause of action, but the Supreme Court of Georgia overruled the dismissal and remanded. The lower court then ruled that petitioners were denied constitutional liberties and issued the injunction. On appeal, held, affirmed. Enforcement of union shop contracts requiring employees to pay …

The Supreme Court - October 1958 Term, Bernard Schwartz

Michigan Law Review

The Supreme Court, reads a famous passage by Bryce, "feels the touch of public opinion. Opinion is stronger in America than anywhere else in the world, and judges are only men. To yield a little may be prudent, for the tree that cannot bend to the blast may be broken."

The history of the highest Court bears constant witness to the truth of Bryce's statement. Supreme Court action which has moved too far in one direction has always ultimately provoked an equivalent reaction in the opposite direction. Even an institution as august as the high tribunal cannot escape the law …

Labor Law - Labor Management Relations Act - Linking "Employer Free Speech" To No-Solicitation Rule, Barbara Burger

Michigan Law Review

During an organizational campaign the employer prohibited any dissemination of literature on company property and soliciting or campaigning on company time by employees while itself distributing within the plant non-threatening, anti-union literature. General Counsel for the NLRB contended that by this conduct the employer "interfered with, restrained or coerced" employees in their exercise of the right to self-organization. This contention was rejected by the NLRB, but on appeal was accepted by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. On certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, held, reversed, two justices dissenting. Even if an employer could commit …

Constitutional Law - Freedom Of Press - Validity Of Motion Picture Licensing Statute, Dean L. Berry S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The distributor of the motion picture "Lady Chatterley's Lover" applied to the Motion Picture Division of the New York State Education Department for a license, required by New York law, for public presentation of the film. The application was denied on the ground the film was "immoral" within the meaning of the licensing statute. On review, the Board of Regents approved this determination, but on appeal the state supreme court reversed the Board. A divided court of appeals reversed the supreme court, holding that the contents of the film met the statutory definition of "immoral." On appeal to the Supreme …

"Congress Shall Make No Law…":Ii, O. John Rogge

Michigan Law Review

The framers of the federal bill of rights by the First and Tenth Amendments sought to deny Congress power over utterances unless they were connected with criminal conduct other than advocacy. Any power over such utterances was to reside in the states. However, the Supreme Court departed from the framers' intent.

One of the factors in this development was the emergence of an undefined federal police power. This occurred largely under the commerce and postal clauses. It began over a century ago. As early as 1838 Congress passed a law requiring the installation of safety devices upon steam vessels. Beginning …

"Congress Shall Make No Law..."*, O. John Rogge

Michigan Law Review

It is the position of the writer that, at least so far as Congress is concerned, speech is as free as thought, and that unless and until speech becomes a part of a course of conduct which Congress can restrain or regulate no federal legislative power over it exists. State power, despite the Fourteenth Amendment, may be somewhat more extensive. Certainly the framers of the First Amendment intended that it should be. This article will deal with federal power over speech.

Constitutional Law - Due Process - Limits On Investigative Power Of State Legislative Committees, George E. Lohr

Michigan Law Review

Defendant appeared before the New Hampshire attorney general, who was authorized by statute to investigate violations of the state subversive activities law and to determine if subversive persons, as defined therein, were present within the state. Defendant refused to answer certain questions about the contents of a university class lecture delivered by him and about his knowledge of other persons' activities in the Progressive Party, contending that such questions infringed an area protected by the First Amendment. The state superior court conceded the infringement of defendant's rights, but found this to be justified by state interest in self-protection, and convicted …

St. John-Stevas: Obscenity And The Law, William B. Lockhart

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Obscenity and the Law . By Norman St. John-Stevas

Constitutional Law - Due Process -Watkins V. United States As A Limitation On Power Of Congressional Investigating Committees, Allan F. Bioff S. Ed.

Michigan Law Review

It is the purpose of this comment to examine the nature and extent of the restraints imposed by the Watkins case as well as the potential problems raised by the decision.

Labor Law - Nlra - "Roving Situs" Picketing As Violation Of Section 8(B)(4)(A), William K. Muir Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Respondent union sought to organize the crane and dragline operators of a manufacturer of ready-mixed cement and posted pickets about the local manufacturing plant. During the working day each of the employer's delivery trucks crossed the picket line at least twice. In addition, the union established a roving picket line which circulated about the manufacturer's trucks while they were making deliveries to customers at local construction sites. The roving picketing lasted only so long as the workers of the primary employer remained on the customer's premises. The pickets at all times stayed within six hundred feet of the trucks. The …

Constitutional Law - Separation Of Church And State - Bible Reading In The Public Schools, Frederic F. Brace Jr.

Michigan Law Review

The plaintiff, as a citizen, taxpayer, and parent of school children, sought an injunction to restrain the defendant school board from allowing school teachers to read the Bible aloud to students as required by a Tennessee statute. The plaintiff contended that this practice was offensive to him and in violation of the Tennessee and United States Constitutions. The trial court sustained defendant's demurrer. On appeal, held, affirmed. The statute violates neither constitution because it is not an interference with students' or parents' religious beliefs. Carden v. Bland, (Tenn. 1956) 288 S. W. (2d) 718.

Compelling The Testimony Of Political Deviants, O. John Rogge

Michigan Law Review

Besides the two specific problems which the new federal act presents, namely, whether it imposes nonjudicial functions on federal courts, and whether it should, does and can protect against the substantial danger of state prosecution, there is a general objection that one can raise against it, and to other acts of the same type: they relate to the area of belief and opinion, the very area which was involved when the English people, spearheaded by the Puritans, engaged in the struggle with the Crown that finally resulted in the establishment of a right of silence. At least if we are …

Constitutional Law - Freedom Of Religion - Fluoridation Of City Water, John M. Webb S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

In its proprietary capacity the City of Bend maintains and operates a water system with the exclusive right to supply water to its inhabitants. In February 1952 the mayor and city commissioners adopted an ordinance providing for the introduction of fluorine into the water supply to reduce dental caries in the teeth of young children. The plaintiff as a resident and taxpayer brought suit to enjoin such action. A demurrer to his complaint was sustained. On appeal, held, affirmed. A city, in the exercise of its police power, may enact reasonable regulations for the protection of the public health, …

Mason: Security Through Freedom. American Political Thought And Practice., William R. Jentes S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Security Through Freedom. American Political Thought and Practice. By Alpheus Thomas Mason.

Church, State, And Freedom: A Review, Paul G. Kauper

Michigan Law Review

The Supreme Court's opinion in the Everson case declaring that the separation-of-church-and-state limitation derived from the First Amendment was equally applicable to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment opened up new vistas on the church-state problems in this country. Opponents of released time programs were quick to seize the opening thus afforded as evidenced by the litigation in the McCollum and Zorach cases. And even before the Everson case reached it, the Supreme Court, thanks almost entirely to the efforts of Jehovah's Witnesses, had been engaged at length with the task of defining the dimensions of religious freedom as secured …

Wills - Religious Conditions In Restraint Of Marriage - Validity At Common Law And Effect Of Shelley V. Kraemer, Jack G. Armstrong S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Testator devised and bequeathed his property to his children, but with a proviso that the gift to any child who should marry a person not born in the Hebrew faith should lapse. Subsequent to the testator's death, the defendant married a woman who had been born a Roman Catholic. The other beneficiaries brought a proceeding to declare that the defendant had lost his rights under the will by reason of his marriage. The probate court granted a decree substantially as sought by the plaintiffs. On appeal, held, affirmed. This partial restraint on marriage is not so unreasonable as to …

Problems In The Removal Of Federal Civil Servants, Ivor L. M. Richardson

Michigan Law Review

The publicity given in the past few years to the loyalty and security program has brought the civil servant of the federal government increasingly before the public eye. At the same time little attention has been paid to the plight of a civil servant who is dismissed from his post for reasons other than those relating to loyalty and security. It is the purpose of this paper to consider different aspects of the removal of civil servants. We shall discuss (1) the government's power to remove civil servants both at common law and under statutes which deal with the exercise …

Constitutional Law - Freedom Of Religion - Judicial Intervention In Disputes Within Independent Church Bodies, Julius B. Poppinga S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

It is the purpose of this comment to set forth the several principles applied by courts in determining controversies in independent church groups and to consider the constitutional implications of judicial intervention.

Constitutional Law - Due Process - Validity Of Refusal To Permit The Showing Of A Motion Picture On The Grounds Of Obscenity, Donald F. Oosterhouse S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

A Chicago municipal ordinance made it unlawful to exhibit any motion picture without first having secured a permit from the Commissioner of Police. The commissioner is required to issue the permit unless he finds the picture "immoral or obscene. . .. " On these grounds he refused to permit exhibition of "The Miracle." Plaintiffs brought suit to have the ordinance declared unconstitutional and to restrain enforcement of the prohibition on the picture. The trial court granted the relief asked. On appeal, held, reversed and remanded to determine if the motion picture is obscene. A prior restraint on the exhibition …

Labor Law - Organizational Picketing In Industries Not Affecting Interstate Commerce, Arne Hovdesven

Michigan Law Review

Representatives of defendant union approached plaintiff, proprietor of a small liquor store, with information that they planned to initiate an organizational campaign to obtain the membership of the store's three clerks, none of whom were members of any union at that time. Subsequent to this meeting, a picket line of two men was established and was maintained without any acts of violence, for over nineteen months until halted by a permanent injunction issued by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division. The union did not make any demands upon plaintiff to sign a contract or to recognize it as bargaining …

Constitutional Law - Church And State - Statute Requiring Religion To Be Taken Into Consideration In Adoption, David W. Swanson

Michigan Law Review

ln 1951, a Jewish couple obtained custody of illegitimate twins who were then two weeks old. In 1954, the couple formally sought to adopt the children. Although petitioners were otherwise qualified to act as parents, a Massachusetts statute provides that "in making orders for adoption, the judge when practicable must give custody only to persons of the same religious faith as that of the child." The twins' natural mother was Catholic but had consented in writing to adoption by the petitioners and to rearing of the children in the Jewish faith. The lower court found that several Catholic couples had …

Labor Law - Arbitration - Right Of Employer Of Discharge Employer Who Refuses To Testify Concerning His Communist Affiliation, Mary Lee Ryan

Michigan Law Review

A member of the United Electrical Workers Union was discharged from the J. H. Day Company because of his refusal to testify concerning his communist affiliation before the Ohio Un-American Activities Committee and because of the unfavorable publicity which had resulted. Under grievance procedure, the union brought the matter before arbitration. Findings, there was no just cause for dismissal. The employee is entitled to back pay and to reinstatement subject to security clearance. J. H. Day Company,. 22 LAB. Aim. RBP. 751 (1954).

Constitutional Law - Federal Regulation Of Lobbying Act - Vague And Indefinite Language As Violation Of First And Fifth Amendment, Arne Hovdesven

Michigan Law Review

Defendants were charged with violation of the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act because of failure to register as lobbyists under provisions of section 308 and to report expenditures as directed by section 305. The lower court found these sections of the statute unconstitutional and dismissed the information. On appeal, held, the act is not so vague and indefinite as to violate the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment; nor does it violate the First Amendment. The penalty provision of section 310(b) is not objectionable as a deprivation of First Amendment rights since it is separable. United States v. …

Criminal Procedure - Standing Of The Press To Protest Exclusion Of Public From Criminal Trial By Order Of The Trial Judge, M. Fred Mallender, Ii

Michigan Law Review

Defendant judge, believing that great harm to public morals and decency was to be apprehended from the testimony in the vice trial of Minot F. Jelke, exercised his discretion to exclude the general public including plaintiff newspapers from the court room during the state's case. The family and friends of the accused along with officers of the court, witnesses, and jury were not excluded. The plaintiffs applied for a writ of prohibition to restrain the defendant from enforcing his order. The court denied the application on the grounds that the defendant judge had the power to make the exclusion order …