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…

The literature on the use of corporal punishment with children is reviewed, legal opinions on the issue are cited, and research on the social and behavioral aspects of corporal punishment are discussed. The literature is noted to focus on guidelines for administering corporal punishment, the importance of the relationship between the adult and…

THE LEGAL POSITION OF STUDENT TEACHERS WAS STUDIED. A SURVEY OF STATUTES, ATTORNEY GENERALS' OPINIONS, AND CASE LAWS IN 10 STATES WAS CONDUCTED. THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF STUDENT TEACHING SURVEYED WERE (1) THE LIABILITY FOR PUPIL INJURY, (2) THE AUTHORITY TO REGULATE PUPIL CONDUCT, AND (3) THE LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL CORPORATIONS AND OF…

This paper briefly discusses problems of the present legal system in dealing with child custody cases and proposes two alternative modes for deciding custody disputes. Section I presents problems involved in the present process of deciding legal custody. It is argued that the adversarial process is often unresponsive to the child's best interests.…

This paper examines the legal questions involved in public financial support and resulting public control of private schools in both Canada and the U.S. Three factors are responsible for increased public interest in private schools in recent years, the paper states: increased educational costs, concern over the concept of equal education, and…

Opinions about due process as it applies to the contemporary college campus range from the extreme view that due process as defined and practiced in U.S. courts of criminal law should be followed on college campuses to the opposite extreme that an educational community must evolve its own "due process" in light of campus objectives and…

This manual describes a grant program sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The aim of the program is to support sound cost-effective projects which will help assure greater accountability on the part of convicted juveniles towards their victims and communities. This manual also includes two papers. One reviews…

This selected annotated bibliography focuses on women as victims of violence, specifically battered wives and rape victims. Areas of concern include the history of violence, causes, statistics, legal remedies, and suggestions for reform. Case studies highlight the involvement of police, social agencies, hospitals, and the community. Summaries of…

Reported are 22 new cases and provided is information on 27 previously reported cases related to mental retardation and the law. Cases are grouped according to 10 topics (sample cases in parentheses): classification; confidentiality/access to records; commitment; criminal law (O'Brien v. Superior Court); education (California Association for…

These bulletins present arguments for and against licensing of public relations "experts." Edward L. Bernays, who presents the argument for state licensing and registration, asserts that voluntary accreditation does not effectively protect the public or the profession and suggests that well-defined standards for rules of conduct are necessary.…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current status of freedom of the press with regard to past and present judicial rulings. A section devoted to "The Background of Prior Restraint" examines the historical basis for current legal decisions. In "Threatening Progeny," court decisions unfriendly to the press such as the…

The document is a report on the adequacy of existing procedures for resolving disputes arising out of consumer transactions. It is primarily concerned with problems of the consumer who receives defective goods or services and so suffers economic loss. Focusing on four types of dispute resolution, the document presents its findings and…

Negligence, a tort liability, is defined, discussed, and reviewed in relation to several court decisions involving school principals. The history of liability suits against school principals suggests that a reasonable, prudent principal can avoid legal problems. Ten guidelines are presented to assist principals in avoiding charges of negligence.…

The recent U.S. District Court decision calling for the replacement of segregated and dualistic systems of public higher education with unitary systems may become as important to higher education as the Supreme Court's Brown decision, according to this report, which focuses on the 10 states named in the Adams vs Richardson litigation: Arkansas,…

This packet, containing model papers and other information necessary for initiating Title I litigation, is designed to provide the basic tools for lawyers who may wish to bring a lawsuit in a Federal court to compel the expenditure of Title I funds in a lawful manner. The material includes (1) a general discussion of Title I issues; (2) a…