Students learn about the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and discover how just 16 words in the U.S. Constitution inaugurated a debate that continues to this day. The author objectively follows the debate in relation to prayer in public schools, government support for religious schools, the right to speak and raise money for religious causes, when religion conflicts with the law, and where this issue stands today.

What sort of communicative activities are actually covered and specifically protected by the Constitution? What is a public forum? What is the clear and present danger test for political free speech? How are the courts grappling with a definition for obscenity? What are the rights of the press? What is commercial speech? When does the right to privacy overrule the right to free press? Are picket lines the same as demonstrations? These are just a few of the questions students will think about as they study how the Supreme Court has responded to these issues over the past century.

Of all amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the Fourth has been called the most ambiguous, and it is from that amendment that search and seizure laws are primarily drawn. Students will learn about the legal issues and cases argued concerning protection of property and privacy, searching homes and businesses, searching people in public places, searching automobiles and baggage, and wiretapping. The Exclusionary Rule and the right to privacy beyond search and seizure are specifically examined in detail.

Just a few years ago, the concept of job-related privacy was barely recognized by the law and virtually unknown to most employers. Under the legal doctrine of employment-at-will, the conditions of most employment were dictated by employers, and workers held their jobs at the discretion of their superiors. In the past two decades, however, numerous laws and court rulings have established the doctrine of workplace privacy: the protection of employees and job applicants from attempts by employers to learn information about them and to regulate their activities on and off the job. This book...

What sort of communicative activities are actually covered and specifically protected by the Constitution? What is a public forum? What is the clear and present danger test for political free speech? How are the courts grappling with a definition for obscenity? What are the rights of the press? What is commercial speech? When does the right to privacy overrule the right to free press? Are picket lines the same as demonstrations? These are just a few of the questions students will think about as they study how the Supreme Court has responded to these issues over the past century.

The United States Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade. When it does, that decision may be as important as the Dred Scott decision a century and a half ago. During the confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas the focus was on the constitutional right to privacy and abortion. No legal concept has been more controversial and has had such a significant impact on the lives of millions of Americans. This book provides an understandable overview of the Supreme Court decisions concerned with privacy issues such as sex, drugs, abortion, and the right to die. The legal...