| The Freedom of Religion and "Charitable Choice" |
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| Increasingly, more social services are being provided by nonprofit organizations, including many religious or faith-based groups. Proponents say that such "charitable choice" makes it possible for more clients to receive services. Opponents counter that such federal approval--and funding--is an impermissible sponsorship of religion, which is prohibited by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Although issues of religion and government seem to have come only recently to the forefront with President George W. Bush's "faith-based initiatives," the concept of charitable choice was made part of the federal welfare reform law passed in 1996.
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| The Privacy of Cellular Telephone Numbers |
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| Six of the seven largest wireless telephone carriers say that they will move forward with a plan to compile a directory of wireless telephone numbers. The Wireless 411 Privacy Act has been introduced in Congress to prohibit wireless telephone carriers from including in a published directory the cellular phone numbers of those subscribers who do not give their consent. More... |
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| The Rehabilitation Act and Education for Disabled Students. |
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| The Rehabilitation Act was passed to allow full participation in society by individuals with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Act, along with other federal laws such as the Civil Rights Law of 1964, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, guarantees equal access to education for disabled students. More... |
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| What is the "Community Relations Service?" |
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| The Community Relations Service (CRS) is a federal agency that is a part of the United States Department of Justice. CRS was created by Title V of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to assist local communities in the prevention and resolution of serious racial and ethnic conflicts. For example, CRS might provide impartial federal mediators to help resolve a "use of excessive force" dispute between a city's police department and a citizen's group. CRS can help school officials, a community, and students to establish dialogues. More... |
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| The Freedom of Speech During Elections |
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| The freedom of speech is "essential to our democratic ideals." A city cannot ban political candidates from mentioning their opponents in a city voter pamphlet. The First Amendment permits candidates--even ones for judicial offices--to speak out on their party membership or affiliation, as well as on their views on political issues. A state appellate court has ruled that a shopping mall cannot ban a political candidate from soliciting petition signatures on mall property.
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