Describes the John Scopes case of 1925 in which he was tried and convicted for teaching evolution. Gives background on the two famous attorneys for the case: William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. Explains that the case turned into a media sensation because of the profound issues and oratory skills of the attorneys. (CMK)

Summarizes the methods and outcomes of Operation Greylord, an undercover operation that investigated the corruption of the Chicago (Illinois) court system. Shows that judges, lawyers, and police are not above and beyond the law's reach and that there are people who will take risks to ensure the existence of justice. (CMK)

The New Jersey Supreme Court has significantly redefined the state's constitutional obligation to poor, urban children--providing a "thorough and efficient" education geared to a post-industrial economy. Measures have shifted from expenditures to provision of resources to meet state curriculum standards. The problem: ensuring adequate…

Examines background issues on privatization along with reviewing arguments regarding its adoption. Notes the vertical lack of governmental controls and regulation of privatization. Raises lingering legal questions that remain in the rush to privatization. (MLF)

In "Hosford," a teacher led a discussion with 3 13-year-old boys in a special-needs class about words with multiple meanings that included obscene ones. The teacher's contract was not renewed. The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in the teacher's favor and declared that primary and secondary school teachers have enough academic freedom…

Describes the Arizona education tax credit law as a voucher plan in disguise, and argues that the concept of justice underlying the law is an element largely missing from the school choice debate. Calls on educators and policymakers to concentrate on efforts to help needy students rather than to channel tax dollars toward self-interested ends.…

Comments on the language used in the Arizona tax credit law and by commentators on this law and discusses a factor that fuels the impetus for sectarian education. Explores these questions in the context of the social, cognitive, and moral costs of privatization. (SLD)

Reviews state school-funding litigation since the California Supreme Court's 1971 decision in "Serrano v. Priest." Assesses the impact and evolution of state funding litigation; discusses the subsequent erosion of local control; describes potential future funding litigation involving rural schools, local sales taxes, and urban schools.…

Focus of school-finance litigation has shifted from equity to adequacy. Discusses two recent North Carolina school-finance cases dealing with the concept of educational adequacy: "Leandro," decided by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1997, and "Hoke County Board of Education," decided by the Wake County Superior Court in…

In a thorough analysis of researching the regulation of the banking industry in the United States, Zoller (2000) demonstrated a number of paths among federal documents of various agencies within the Department of the Treasury, including the legislation that created these entities, and to relevant online resources. This latter opportunity included…

Thirteen cases involving state school-finance litigation were decided in 1994. Of these 13 decisions, 6 state systems were found to be unconstitutional. This document describes state litigation involving school finance for 1994-95. A review of cases finds that states have manifested a variety of responses to court decisions. Most suits turn on the…

The history of the 11th amendment to the U.S. Constitution and its current application to schools and universities are examined in this paper. The amendment, which seeks to protect the states by redefining judicial boundaries within the federal concept of government, is unclear and paradoxical, especially to claimants seeking federal relief from a…

Findings of a study that explored how California school reforms are initiated and revised and how differences between the judicial and legislative areas affect policymaking are presented in this document. Two themes--financial reform and retrenchment--are examined at two levels: as a case study about the politics of school finance reform and also…

Following the Kentucky Supreme Court's 1989 ruling that declared the state's common school system unconstitutional, lawyers and educators sued the state legislature for failure to provide an efficient school system. The role of litigation and lawyers in Kentucky education reform is examined in this paper. Part 1 describes how a group of lawyers…

This court litigation reverses Farris and Black of Home School Legal Defense Association v. South Carolina State Board of Education, which found that the Education Entrance Examination (EEE) was properly validated for use in testing home school instructors as regulated by S. C. Code Ann. Section 59-65-40(A)(1)(a)(1990), the home schooling statute…