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The Legal Eagle Lowdown
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The Legal Eagle Lowdown is an update blog for the Foundation’s legal newspaper for kids, The Legal Eagle, published FREE three times a year. Posts for the Lowdown will update a story that was recently published in The Legal Eagle but has had some development since publication. Posts will be added periodically. Check back often to get the Lowdown!
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U.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Praying Football Coach
by Suzi Morales In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of a football coach employed at a public school to pray on the field after games. The Court’s decision illustrates the complexity of interpreting the five clauses in the U.S. Constitution’s First...
Juvenile Strikes Count in Three Strikes Law
by Maria Wood “Three strikes and you’re out” doesn’t just refer to baseball, it also applies to those who commit serious crimes in the Garden State. New Jersey is one of 28 states that have three strikes laws on the books. Passed in 1995, New Jersey’s Three Strikes...
Right to Remain Silent? Not About Passcodes
by Michael Barbella Increasingly, the nation’s courts need to look to the U.S. Constitution to interpret laws dealing with 21st century technology as digital devices become entrenched in everyday life, as well as in criminal activity. Computers, cellphones, and other...
It’s a Warming World—What Can Be Done?
by Jodi L. Miller There is no question that the Earth is warming. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the warmest seven years on record have all occurred since 2015, with 2016 and 2020 tying for the hottest. According to the National Aeronautics and...
Climate Change Litigation Heats Up as Temperatures Rise
by Michael Barbella The mercury’s gradual climb over the last four decades has not only made the planet hotter overall, it also has triggered an increase in climate change-related lawsuits. The number of such legal actions rose steadily throughout the late 20th and...
Holding Corporations Accountable for Climate Change
by Emily Pecot Everyone can play a part in combatting climate change. Corporations, however, are uniquely positioned to play an even bigger role and are facing pressure to take meaningful and timely action. According to a 2021 report, “Taking Stock: A Global...
Garden State Leads the Way on Climate Change Education
by Suzi Morales When Egg Harbor Township High School science teacher Jim House began teaching environmental science 12 years ago, his class was one that students often took just to get another science credit. Today, teaching about environmental issues has become much...
Social Media Platforms Profit from Damage to Teens
by Emily Pecot Instagram and its parent company, Facebook Inc., rebranded as Meta, have faced increasing calls to rein in social media practices that promote hate speech and online bullying. Additionally, documents obtained and published by The Wall Street Journal...
Balancing First Amendment Religious Issues in the Courts
by Michael Barbella In freedom of religion cases, the issues usually come down to a balance between the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and its Free Exercise Clause. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: Congress shall make no law respecting an...
Adult Marijuana Use Now Legal in New Jersey
by Maria Wood In February 2021, New Jersey became the 14th state to legalize adult marijuana use when Governor Phil Murphy signed into law the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act. New Jersey legislators had...