Discusses the progress of anti-Hazelwood legislation, and lists the five states with student free expression laws: California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and Massachusetts. Notes that 16 states have made no attempts to counteract the ruling of Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. Describes the limits of the laws existing in the five states with…

Legislators in over a dozen states have approved or are considering restrictions on what can be transmitted by computer. Legal scholars feel this could seriously affect network use, and that colleges and universities could face conflicting regulations in a medium transcending legal jurisdictions. Supporters feel the laws are needed to protect…

A 1973 Supreme Court decision ("Miller v. California") established the system of defining obscenity on the local level according to the following criteria: first, prurient appeal and patent offensiveness are to be determined by a community rather than by a national standard; second, sexually explicit materials are judged obscene only if…

Discusses results of a survey sent to former legislators (representing 18 states) concerning their opinion as to why bills intended to reverse the effects of Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier have met with resistance. Identifies characteristics of legislators that sponsored anti-Hazelwood legislation. Concludes that more planning was needed…

The use of Internet filters in public classrooms in the USA has been intensely debated, both in terms of its effectiveness and legality. The debate pits concerns to protect students from indecent material against issues of unconstitutional censorship. This paper examines the legal issues addressed in various rulings by the US Supreme Court…

During the last two years, New York State has made considerable progress toward opening its government to public inspection. This report discusses New York's open-records law and the creation of the Committee on Public Access to Records, a group of individuals who "interpret the law, oversee its implementation, establish procedures, and…

Challenging both the extreme libertarians and the extreme moralists, this book explores the public interest in moral norms and moral character and discusses how that interest is best served. Chapters are devoted to (1) "The Evolution of Standards and the 'Roth' Case," (2) "Aftermath of 'Roth'," (3) "The First Amendment and the Free Society:…