First Amendment, Criminal Law Cases Featured at W&L Law Supreme Court Preview
On Wednesday, Sept. 14, faculty at Washington and Lee University School of Law will discuss several of the most compelling cases on the 2011 U.S. Supreme Court docket during the School’s annual Supreme Court Preview.
The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Millhiser Moot Court Room, Sydney Lewis Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
During the panel discussion, law professors will analyze several key cases currently on the high court’s docket, framing the important issues of the case and explaining the routes the cases took through the lower courts before being accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court. The cases and participating faculty are as follows:
Prof. Josh Fairfield will discuss Golan v. Holder, which asks whether Congress, by removing works from the public domain, exceeded its power to enact copyright laws to “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts” or violated the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
Prof. J.D. King will talk about two cases, Lafler v. Cooper and Missouri v. Frye. These cases both explore whether a criminal defendant has any recourse when his lawyer performs deficiently during plea bargaining, either by providing grossly incompetent advice regarding the plea offer or by failing to inform the defendant of the offer at all.
Prof. Erik Luna will discuss United States v. Jones. The issue in Jones is whether the government may attach a GPS device to your car and monitor your travels for several weeks, all without obtaining a warrant.
Prof. Brian Murchison will discuss FCC v. Fox, in which the court will decide whether the FCC’s new policy of fining broadcasters for fleeting expletives violates broadcasters’ freedom of speech.
The Supreme Court Preview is sponsored by the American Constitution Society.
News Contact:
Peter Jetton
School of Law Director of Communications
pjetton@wlu.edu
(540) 458-8782
