According to a Texas high school student, receiving an education in the US means giving up your first amendment rights. After Paul Palmer was asked twice to change his clothes at school or leave the premises because they disobeyed the school’s dress code, the Palmer family filed a lawsuit against the school for unconstitutional behavior. According to Palmer and his lawyers, the clothing in question, an all black outfit followed by a John Edwards campaign t-shirt, was in no way disruptive to his fellow classmates or inappropriate, the only exception in limiting freedom of expression. Still, school officials insist that their policies regarding dress code are not only legal but also necessary in order to maintain a healthy environment for their students.

Palmer will be represented by the Liberty Legal Institute of Texas who anticipate a positive outcome from the recently filed injunction. Basing their argument mainly from the case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, Palmer’s attorney is confident the school has no evidence that his display caused any disruptions or that it violated other students’ rights. In addition, they are arguing that the schools policy is particularly egregious with a presidential election fast approaching, a time when students should be learning about their opportunities to speak openly about their beliefs and learn more about the political process. The outcome of the case is yet to be determined but one thing is for sure, Palmer will be learning more than he ever hoped to know about the American judicial system.

Source: Student Press Law Center

We prefer world law in the age of self-determination to world war in the age of mass extermination.

~ John F. Kennedy

The game of Wiffle Ball often embodies a nostalgic desire for simpler times: kids playing in the great outdoors, lazy summers, good old fashioned fun. But lawyers, politicians, and permits? Not what we had in mind…

The sport is currently under attack in the city of Greenwich, CT., where a group of local teenage boys converted an abandoned public lot into an official Wiffle Ball field, complete with Red Sox Green Monster wall and American flag. The field has attracted a large high school following, and the kids staunchly defend their unique love of the game. One player asserts:

“It’s just old-fashioned fun. We did it on our own. Maybe people think that’s unusual.”

And the Wiffle Ball league has plenty of community support. The local paper lauded the youths for stepping outside the typical box of video games and television, and one city official applauds them for escaping the “incredibly structured and stressful environment” in which they grew up.

But not everyone in Greenwich is as keen on the new field. Some adults are demanding more supervision and cite concerns for legal liability. The lot on which the field was built may be worth up to $1.25 million dollars, although it was left as an undeveloped drainage area for nearby homes. Some argue that an impromptu field in a less affluent or litigious community would fare much better than the Greenwich Wiffle Ball group’s.

The field’s neighbors are also voicing concerns. When they purchased their homes, they were not expecting the disturbance created by the field’s growing crowds. The kids also cleared the lot of brush essential to collect drainage water. Now, the city must decide whether the field can stay, or whether the kids must find another all-American pastime to enjoy.

How do you feel about the Wiffle Ball war? Please leave your comments below.

Source: The New York Times