1. SCOTUS Bladensburg Cross Decision--Link
2. "The ongoing battle over abortion rights, including the Supreme Court's action on Indiana's abortion law in Box v. Planned Parenthood, and Justice Thomas opinion focusing on abortion as eugenics; Supreme Court's decision in June Medical; increasingly restrictive enactments by various states; and challenges to new HHS health care conscience rules."
3. Supreme Court Decides Montana Case
In June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue,
a case challenging Montana’s right to restrict the state’s tuition tax
credits from being used for religious education in light of a state
constitution that prohibits taxpayer dollars from being used to fund
religion.
4. 2020 Free Exercise/ Ministerial Exception decision: Our Lady of Guadalupe
5. Arlene's Flowers case-SCOTUSBLOG LINK
6. Issues about the proposed (and expired) Equal Rights Amendment. Is it dead? Or resurrected?
A DOJ opinion letter on this issue is posted on the Office of Legal Counsel website at this URL:
justice.gov/olc/file/12325
7. Economic Liberties under P & I Clause (original meaning)
8. Covid cases involving lockdowns of churches and religious schools (Cuomo case is one important case in this area)
9. Free speech in public schools--Court grants cert in Mahoney Area School District case
10. Should the First Amendment not be protected when "dignitary harm" is caused by speech or religiously-motivated conduct? Masterpiece Cakeshop is one example of this issue.
11. Many more recent cases to choose from (Janus, NIFLA, Second Amendment issues in lower courts, affirmative action, maybe jurisprudence of the Roberts Court: past, present, and future; many more.
Pick a topic that grabs your attention and one that is manageable as a seminar paper that is due by April. Do not bite off more than you can chew!
Remember, no criminal procedure topics will be approved (I don't teach Criminal Procedure, so I just can't grade those papers).
