Ask the Judge
Posts are addressed to teens and cover how the law may affect them, such as First Amendment issues in schools, cyberbullying and litigation brought by teens against other teens, charges relating to parenting decisions.
Author: Thomas A. Jacobs is a retired judge and the author of these books about teens and the law: Teens Take It to Court, They Broke the Law—You Be the Judge, What Are My Rights? and the upcoming Teen Cyberbullying Investigated. He is also the author of Children & the Law, Arizona Juvenile Law & Practice and Arizona Community Property Law.
Blawg Related Categories: Constitutional Law • First Amendment • Criminal Justice • Juvenile Justice • Education Law • Family Law • Judge
Recent Posts from Ask the Judge
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Posting address and vacation plans invite burglars
19-year-old Rachel J. Lee of Las Vegas, Nevada, knew what she wanted and how to get it. Dissing knock-offs, she coveted the actual designer clothes and jewelry of such celebrities as Paris Hilton and Lindsay…
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Shirtless boys cut from yearbook pages
Four pages from the 2009 edition of the Chatooga High School yearbook were literally cut out of each book before they were distributed. The photographs, taken by student photographer Tyler Barker over the summer, depicted…
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England tough on texting while driving
Near Oxford, England, 24-year-old Victoria McBryde was on her way to a friend’s house when she got a flat tire. She stopped along the side of the road and waited for assistance from an auto…
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“Service” dog includes calming child in class
Under an Illinois law, “service” animals such as a seeing-eye dog are allowed in schools. However, two school districts in 2009 took a position that dogs for autistic children were not truly service animals. They…
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Struggling economy leads to more teens on the street
State and federal labor laws prevent many teenagers from finding work. In the summer of 2009, less than 30% of teens had jobs, due also in part to the economy. Statistics from federally financed outreach…
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First Lady Michelle Obama mentors high school girls
Community service and giving back is part of Michelle Obama’s life. She gave up a corporate lawyer’s position to run a community program in Chicago. Now Mrs. Obama has opened the White House to local high…
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Utah gets a bad rap at McDonald’s
Four teenagers in American Fork, Utah, will think twice before rapping in public again. In October, 2009, they went to the local McDonald’s and, for fun, rapped their order into the outside speaker. The lyrics…
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Phone counseling aids in battle against teen smoking
Regardless of laws restricting possession and use of tobacco products by teenagers, enforcement is another matter. Parents are left to deal with the health and safety of their children when it comes to cigarettes and…
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Racist symbols at school result in expulsions
The truck-load of sod at Sinclair Elementary School in Virginia was to be used around the school’s new curbs and sidewalks. Instead six high school students used it to spell out hateful words in the…
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Finland says the Internet is a “right”
The Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution is over 200 years old (enacted in 1791). Over this period, state and federal courts have wrestled with the scope and meaning of the first ten Amendments.…