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The University News » Entries tagged with "Supreme Court"

Kenyan elections underscore the importance of voting

March 20th, 2013 | Add a Comment

The day preceding America’s presidential elections last fall, Communication Studies instructor Peter Morello asked students in his Media Ethics class to raise their hands if they were interested in participating in the electoral process. A handful did. Morello then asked why students were not keen on participating in the election of their president. One student said, “I’ll consult with my girlfriend to see if there is any need to go and vote. At the moment, I do not think this is a priority.” As a native of Kenya, a country on the East Coast of Africa, where elections for the president are a life-and-death event, this ambivalent attitude by an American student toward participating in electing his country’s president was baffling to me. Kenya recently concluded the election of the country’s president and, just … Read entire article »

Filed under: Opinion

Pending Supreme Court cases could signal new era for Civil Rights

March 5th, 2013 | Add a Comment

Three U.S. Supreme Court cases to be decided this year will either affirm or reject decades of civil rights advances for the gay community and disenfranchised minority voters. Two of the cases involve bans on marriage for same-sex couples: California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Prop. 8, passed by California voters in November 2008, added a state constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage. At the crux of the Supreme Court case is whether the “equal protection” clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from defining marriage as between one man and one woman. If Prop. 8 is upheld, the court could also decide the fate of same-sex marriages in California that were performed before the measure was approved. The DOMA challenge stems from four lawsuits that originated … Read entire article »

Filed under: Opinion

Iowa judges discuss same-sex marriage ruling at UMKC

February 4th, 2013 | Add a Comment

Former Iowa Supreme Court Justices Marsha Ternus and Michael Streit visited the UMKC School of Law last Friday to discuss the court’s 2009 ruling that struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban. UMKC OutLaws, a social and academic group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied law students, presented the panel. The lecture is timely, in anticipation of the California Proposition 8 and federal Defense of Marriage Act hearings being presented before the U.S. Supreme Court March 26-27. Missouri State Senator Jolie Justus moderated the discussion. “This is the first time the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up the issue of same-sex marriage, and it will be interesting to see what happens,” said Jim Breckenridge, OutLaws treasurer and UMKC graduate. “What is particularly interesting is that the U.S. Supreme Court will have to use … Read entire article »

Filed under: News

Why voting really matters: Democracy necessitates fair representation at the polls

October 22nd, 2012 | Add a Comment

The 38 percent of eligible American voters who didn’t cast ballots in November 2008 took for granted a freedom elusive to many other countries. This includes an alarming number of young adults. Only 49 percent of eligible voters ages 18-24 cast ballots in 2008—a high turnout year for young adults. It was still the lowest voter participation rate of any age group by far. A majority of the world’s nations claim to have democratic elections, but in many of those countries, elections are a farce run by militaristic regimes for the sake of appearance. With rights come responsibility, and many Americans are too cozy and sheltered to realize the freedoms and prosperity we have taken for granted aren’t guaranteed. Apathy extends beyond the eligible voters who don’t cast ballots. Those who do vote are often … Read entire article »

Filed under: Opinion

War on women: Abortion debate remains ugly and polarized

October 1st, 2012 | Add a Comment

About 3,315  abortions occur per day in the U.S., a 2005 statistic from the Guttmacher Institute. This statistic was brought up by anti-abortion activist Kristina Garza, the outreach director for Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust. Garza and other protesters, some from the International House of Prayer in south Kansas City, visited UMKC on the afternoon of Sept. 14, displaying large placards with photos of aborted fetuses across the street from the Student Union. Garza said she believes abortion is a “genocide, which denies babies justice and executes them with no judge, no jury and no trial.” The Guttmacher Institute, a nonpartisan group that researches reproductive health, reported that between 1994 and 2006, unintended pregnancy rates grew by 50 percent for women below the poverty line. However, this number decreased by 29 percent for women with … Read entire article »

Filed under: News

Supreme Court to hear case against ‘Obamacare’

April 17th, 2012 | Add a Comment

In a three-day marathon of debates, the Supreme Court justices are now faced with the task of deciding the fate of the Affordable Care Act, which has been the centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s legislation. The debating started on Monday, March 26 and carried through Wednesday, March 28. The Affordable Care Act was broken down into four individual parts. Each one will be voted on by Supreme Court Justices to decide the law’s future. Each portion will have its own session of deliberation. The most controversial portion is the “individual mandate,” which would require citizens and employers to purchase health insurance or face penalties from the IRS. The main point made by those fighting against the law is if the government can force you to purchase healthcare, then they can force you … Read entire article »

Filed under: News

Other News: Concealed carry growing on campuses

October 3rd, 2011 | Add a Comment

A Sept. 29 report by USA Today highlighted the onslaught of state legislation across the country that allows students and faculty to carry concealed weapons at state colleges and universities. This year, 14 states have introduced more than 30 bills that would loosen bans on state campuses, according to the report. In cases where bans have already been passed, they are likely to gain the attention of state court systems, based on a ruling from the Supreme Court. In 1995, the Court overruled a congressional ban, specifically declaring an infringement on states’ rights to regulate purely local activity. As expected, the results have been mixed in the states. Last Wednesday, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled against a ban on guns at the Oregon University System. The Court ruled that the ban exceeds the authority … Read entire article »

Filed under: News

UMKC says goodbye to David Atkinson after 44 years

April 25th, 2011 | Add a Comment

UMKC says goodbye to David Atkinson after 44 years

As graduates prepare to leave and take on the world, UMKC will also be saying goodbye to a man who has devoted 44 years of his life to this university. Dr. David Atkinson came in UMKC in 1967 and has taught political science and law classes at UMKC for his entire career. This was his first job and the only interview he ever had after leaving the University of Iowa, where he received his Bachelor’s, … Read entire article »

Filed under: Arts & Entertainment