DOCUMENTS IN THE NEWS - 1999
Court Decisions
Last updated on April 4,
2002
Documents in the News identifies issues about
government making news headlines
and web sources with
additional information. The stories included and opinions
expressed
by a web link do not necessarily represent the viewpoints
of this webmaster or The University of
Michigan.
Affirmative Action in College
Admissions
- University of Texas v. Cheryl Hopwood et
al.
- Decision not to review 5th Circuit
Court of Appeals ban of racial
quotas for college admissions
- Directly affects Texas, Mississippi, and
Louisiana
- Supreme
Court Decision (Case Western Reserve)
- Short statement denying petition for writ of certiorari
- Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Decisions
- University of
California v. Bakke (Cornell)
- Text and syllabus of 1978 Supreme Court decision allowing racial quotas in
college admissions
- Full citation for printed Supreme Court Decisions is
438 U.S. 265
Piscataway
Board of Education v. Taxman
Proposition
209 (California)
- Supreme Court Turns
Down Appeal of Proposition 209 (Law Journal Extra)
- Coalition for Economic Equity v. Wilson
- Proposition 209 prevents gender and race preferences in California
State hiring
- Supreme Court refused to hear case by opponents on November 3, 1997
- News article and text of related documents
- California Attorney
General
- Chronology of legal actions with hot links
- Includes text of Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision
- Proposition
209 (Calif.Secy.State)
- Full text of proposal which prohibits California discrimination or
preferential treatment
- Analyses for and against proposal, written in 1996
- ACLU
Position
- Legal documents filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on
Proposition 209
- Articles on the constitutionality
- Affirmative Action
and Diversity Project (UCSB)
- Position papers on both sides of affirmative action issue
- Includes race, gender, changing definitions of diversity, pending
federal and state laws and court decisions
- University of California Regent decision prohibiting race as college
admission factor as well as UC faculty and student response
- Michigan Daily
- Article on effect of Proposition 209 on University of Michigan
affirmative action lawsuit
- Dated November 4, 1997
See also University of Michigan
Affirmative Action Lawsuit
Gratz and Hamacher v. The Regents of the
University of Michigan
Plaintiffs, Defense, Legal Issues
Local News Coverage, Related Materials
Web page moved to
permit further expansion
ACLU v.
Reno
- Text of preliminary injunction against the Child Online Protection Act
- Decision by Judge Lowell Reed, U.S. District Court for Eastern
District of Pennsylvania
- Published February 1, 1999
Text of Act
- Original bill was H.R. 3783 (105th Congress); see
THOMAS for proposed
text
- Incorporated into the Omnibus Transportation Appropriations (PL
105-277; H.R. 4328)
- Law not yet available on THOMAS due to size; consult the Documents
Center for paper copies
ACLU
Press Release on Decision
Background
- Timothy Boomer was convicted of a misdemeanor on June 11, 1999 in
Standish, Michigan
- He had sworn after falling out of a canoe on the Rifle River, August
15, 1998
- Children had heard his language in a passing canoe
Court TV Coverage
- Analysis of trial and its impact on freedom of speech
Michigan Compiled Laws
- Full text of penal code includes blasphemy (750.102) and
cursing/swearing (750.103)
People
v. Boomer
- Ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals on March 29, 2002
- Michigan law against cussing (MCL 750.337) is unconstitutional
Background
- A New York Federal District Court jury found 10 gunmakers guilty of
negligence in recent New York City shootings on February 11, 1999
- Case is Hamilton v. Accu-Tex
- Judge is Jack Weinstein
- Verdict likely to encourage other cities to sue gunmakers
CNN
Coverage
- Extensive links to gunmakers and citizen groups against guns
- Maps of city and state laws
Court TV
Article
- Background and rationale for the verdict
National Rifle Association Fax Alert
- Describes case
- Says NRA is not directly involved in the dispute
Background
- James Byrd, a 49-year-old black man was dragged to his death on June
7, 1998 in Jasper, Texas
- Details are especially gruesome
- The murder was considered racially motivated
- Defendants were three white men: John William King, Jr, Shawn Berry,
and Lawrence Russell
CNN
Coverage
- Last day of King trial with links to related stories
Court TV
- Background and coverage of the King trial beginning Feb. 15, 1999
Dallas Morning
News
- Day-by-day trial coverage
Background
- Jonathan Schmitz killed Scott Amedure three days after a Jenny Jones
Show taping
- Amedure had revealed sexual fantasies about Schmitz
- Schmitz was convicted of murder in 1996 but the verdict was
overturned in 1998; he will be retrieved
- Amedure's family sued the Jenny Jones show for $71 million for
conducted ambush TV
- Geoffrey Fieger was prosecuting attorney
- Verdict on May 7, 1999 awarded the Amedure's $25 Million
Court TV Coverage
- Summary of the Schmitz trial and overturning of the verdict
- Day-by-day reports of testimony in the Jenny Jones trial
- Coverage of the verdict
Jenny Jones Web
Site
- Makeup tips and advice letters
Monopoly Ruling
- District
Court Ruling
- Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson of D.C. District Court
- Preliminary ruling on November 5, 1999 that Microsoft was a monopoly
- Cites actions toward Netscape, IBM, Compaq, Intel and others
- Significantly affects market
- Final
Ruling
- Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson of D.C. District
Court
- Ruling of April 3, 2000 that Microsoft violated the Sherman
Anti-Trust Act
- Key
Dates in Microsoft History (Associated Press/IBM)
- Dates in Microsoft's development and court decisions beginning with
1975
- Bill Gates
Response to 1999 Decision
- Claims an act in good faith and plans to resolve the issues
- Microsoft Press Conference
- Bill Gates' and Steve Ballmer's statements regarding April 3, 2000
decision
Original Lawsuit
- Lawsuit to prevent Microsoft from distributing Windows98 with
bundled Internet Explorer in June 1998
- Complaint from Justice Department and 20 states
Competition and
Innovation in the Digital Age
- Text of prepared statements before the Senate Judiciary Committee on
July 23, 1998
- Includes representatives of Oracle, LOTUS, Sybase, and Real Networks
FindLaw
- Text of all complaints, petititions and court orders on Microsoft
since 1994
- Links to interested parties
- Its Newswire has daily legal news on the case
Justice
Department
- Text of complaint and briefs filed May 18, 1998
- Three additional cases against Microsoft since 1995
Market Power and
Structural Change in the Software Industry
- Hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, 1998
- Includes the prepared statements of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates as
well as representatives from Netscape, Sun, and Dell
Microsoft
- Microsoft filings in the antitrust case and corporate press
releases
Background
- New York City began seizing the cards of drunk drivers on February
22, 1999
- Civil rights groups claim it is a violation of liberty and are
squaring off against Mayor Rudolph Guiliani
Court TV
- Article from February 22 with background information
New York Civil
Liberties Union
- Statement by Norman Siegel on February 22 questioning police right to
seize vehicle of drunken driver found innocent
Murphy v.
United Parcel Service
- Correctable disability (i.e. high blood pressure) does not fall under
the protection of the Americans with Disability Act
- Syllabus, opinion and dissenting opinion
Saentz v.
Roe
- Prohibits states from limiting welfare payments to new state residents
- Syllabus, opinion, and dissenting opinions
Supreme Court Guide
(Cornell)
- List of key cases, dates for oral arguments
- Articles evaluating the issues
Christian
Science Monitor
- Defines tobacco, campaign finance, aid to parochial schools, and
racial factor in voting as issues
- Article dated October 4, 1999
Law
News - Article of September 24, 1999
- Discusses cases before the 1999 session and legal ramifications
Cornell Law
School
- Court calendar for the 1999 session
- List of cases and the central questions to be decided
Grace York, Coordinator, Documents Center
University of Michigan Library
Graphics by Sherry Piontek and Barbara Perles
Send comments and suggestions to graceyor@umich.edu
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Affirmative
Action