NRA Calls for Armed Guards at Nation’s Schools

Weighing in on a national debate about gun control that was ignited by last week’s slaying of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Connecticut, the National Rifle Association on Friday called for armed guards to be stationed at schools throughout the country. Like airports and banks,…

Dec 21, 2012 6:57 PM CST

Enrollment in Non-J.D. Programs at U.S. Law Schools Is Up, Figures Show

Enrollment in non-J.D. programs at ABA-approved law schools has increased substantially in the past 12 years, according to preliminary data released Friday by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Schools reported a 52 percent increase in enrollment in non-J.D. programs from 2000 to 2012, and…

Dec 21, 2012 1:07 PM CST

Gun Control Debate Gains Traction as Obama Appoints Task Force in Wake of Conn. School Slayings

It appears that a massacre of first-graders at a Connecticut elementary school last week could lead to a significant change in the nation’s firearms laws, as a number of prominent individuals who formerly opposed more stringent gun control measures are now rethinking their positions in the wake of the tragedy…

Dec 19, 2012 11:49 PM CST

22 Frat Members Face Hazing Case re NIU Student’s Alcohol Poisoning Death; 5 Charged With Felonies

A freshman’s efforts to fit in at a Northern Illinois University fraternity party ended in his death last month, due to excessive drinking. And now 22 members of the fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, which temporarily lost its NIU accreditation after David Bogenberger’s death on Nov. 2, face criminal hazing charges.…

Dec 19, 2012 8:15 PM CST

Law Prof to Head NAACP Legal Defense Fund as High Court Could Curb Civil Rights Gains

The new president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund takes over as the U.S. Supreme Court is considering two cases that could curb gains made by the group. University of Maryland law professor Sherrilyn Ifill begins the new job next month, NPR reports. She tells the broadcast network that discrimination…

Dec 19, 2012 12:15 PM CST

Parents Claim Grade School Yoga Classes Are First Amendment Violation

Some parents are raising religious objections to yoga classes being taught at a grade school in a San Diego suburb. The parents fear the yoga program at the Paul Ecke Central Elementary School in Encinitas will promote Hindu religious beliefs, the New York Times reports. They claim a First Amendment…

Dec 19, 2012 12:00 PM CST

‘Tax Time Bomb’ Awaits Student Loan Debtors in Forgiveness Programs

There’s a potential “tax time bomb” awaiting those who are current on their student loan debt, in programs that forgive the remaining principal balance of the loan after a period of years usually totaling a decade or two, or even longer. While they are current on their debt and maintaining…

Dec 17, 2012 6:57 PM CST

Student’s Lawsuit Tests High School’s Microchip ID Policy; Will Religion Trump Need to Count Heads?

Many adults have essentially thrown up their hands over the ubiquitous electronic tracking—via cellphones, computers and cameras strategically placed along the roadside and retail shelves—that has eliminated the concept of privacy as we knew it only a decade or so ago. But a 15-year-old is making a federal-court fight out…

Dec 10, 2012 10:21 PM CST

US Lawmaker Is Crafting Plan to Withhold Student Loan Payments from Paychecks, Just Like Income Tax

As overall student loan debt nears the $1 trillion mark and some observers worry that it could be the next debt bubble to burst, at least one lawmaker is suggesting a new system be implemented to ensure that those who can afford to repay do repay. Instead of leaving it…

Dec 6, 2012 7:08 PM CST

Ex-Stockbroker Is Behind Supreme Court Cases Challenging Race in Admissions, Voting Rights Act

A little-known former stockbroker from Maine is largely responsible for two pending Supreme Court cases focusing on race, according to a wire service report. The two cases are Fisher v. University of Texas, a challenge to race-conscious university admissions policies; and Shelby County v. Holder, challenging a provision of the…

Dec 5, 2012 12:15 PM CST

Saying ‘Labels Matter,’ Judge Permits Law School Alumni Suit Over Job Stats

A judge has denied Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s motion for summary judgment against the lead plaintiff in a class action suit by four graduates who say they were tricked into attending the school by misleading post-graduate job statistics. The judge, in a final order (PDF) Thursday, also overruled the…

Dec 4, 2012 3:07 PM CST

ABA Legal Ed Section’s Council Advances Law School Accreditation Standards

The governing council of the ABA’s law school accrediting arm has given preliminary approval to a package of proposed changes in law school accrediting standards covering facilities, equipment, technology, libraries and information resources. The proposed changes, unanimously approved with only minor changes Friday by the council of the ABA Section…

Dec 3, 2012 10:44 PM CST

Florida School Seeks Dismissal of Hazing-Related Wrongful Death Suit

A Florida university has asked a judge to dismiss a wrongful death suit against it over the 2011 hazing death of a drum major in the school’s marching band. Richard Mitchell, a lawyer for Florida A & M University, said Wednesday that the victim, Robert Champion, willingly submitted to the…

Dec 3, 2012 5:41 PM CST

Boys & Girls Together? Courts Deal with a Push to End Co-Ed Classes

Dec 1, 2012 9:19 AM CST

ABA Task Force Seeks Comment on Future of Legal Education

Have any thoughts you’d like to share on the future of legal education? Then an ABA task force that is studying the subject would like to hear from you. The 19-member Task Force on the Future of Legal Education, created last August by outgoing ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson…

Nov 30, 2012 8:30 PM CST