Hobby Lobby is all the rage. We get it. Religious freedom, women’s rights, and the all-too-frequently heard “Corporations are people too” will be conversation fodder for the rest of the summer. If you really want to sound smart though, you’re going to want to tell your friends that Harris v. Quinn was the sleeper case of… Continue Reading

5-cent explanation:  Does Brooklyn, NY-based Aereo violate copyright laws when they provide equipment, at a cost of roughly $8 a month, to get local stations routed to consumers computers, tablets, or phones, to record and play programming on a cloud-based server? 10-cent explanation:  Aereo might be on to something – A la carte programming that saves viewers hundreds… Continue Reading

5-cent explanation: Can police search the contents of an arrestee’s cell phone (text messages, pictures, videos, call records, etc.) during routine traffic stops? 10-cent explanation: Two cases, both related to the searches of cell phones – one involved a flip phone, the other a smart phone – were argued in front of the U.S. Supreme… Continue Reading

Questions in this case and 5-cent rundown: Did two Secret Service agents – Tim Wood and Rob Savage — violate Michael Moss’ 1st Amendment rights when they forcibly moved him and a group of anti-George W. Bush protesters, but not a group of pro-Bush demonstrators, away from a restaurant where the president was dining? Second,… Continue Reading

5-Cent Explanation: The issue in the case is whether a for-profit business can claim free exercise of religion as an exemption to a law mandating employers provide their employees with contraception coverage. 10-Cent Explanation: Signed into law in 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act contains a provision mandating any business employing 50 or… Continue Reading

We hate that we’re covering this case, as the matter is a highly disturbing topic – restitution for the victims of child pornography.  Full disclosure: We work for kids.  They’re our “clients,” if you will, as we are educators.  No teacher treads lightly or indiscriminately through a case involving sexual abuse of children.  We’re guessing… Continue Reading

Navarette v. California Oral Argument: January 21, 2014 5-Cent Explanation: The question raised in this case is whether the police can stop a vehicle based upon information provided by an anonymous caller alleging reckless driving that the officers did not personally observe. 10-Cent Explanation: On August 23, 2008, after receiving what the courts are considering… Continue Reading