The top legal issue in the day’s news was the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action at the University of Texas. Instead of the expected decision, the high court, in essence, punted by returning the case to the lower court for further examination. The 7-1 decision said that while diversity is a worthwhile goal, its implementation is subject to great scrutiny. Affirmative action can only be used if it can be proved that there is no other way to achieve that diversity. The Supreme Court ruled that in the University of Texas case, the lower court had not used strict enough scrutiny to the University’s admission policy.
Host Don Marsh talked with a panel of legal experts to explain the affirmative action and other issues.
The panelists included:
- William Freivogel, J.D., Director, School of Journalism; Associate Professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
- Mark Smith, J.D., Associate Vice Chancellor and Director, The Career Center, Washington University in St. Louis
- Kim Jones, J.D., Senior Staff Attorney, 8th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals
Other topics included:
- The Missouri Supreme Court decision upholding the Turner law allowing students in unaccredited districts to transfer to an adjacent accredited district at the expense of their home district, including transportation
- The legality and public opinion on the collection and retention of phone data for security purposes
- The U.S. Supreme Court decision on the collection of DNA samples by people who are arrested, but not yet convicted
- St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom’s stand on the use of drones in law enforcement
