Chapter 7 - In Vernonia School District v. Acton (1995)

Chapter 7

1. In Vernonia School District v. Acton (1995), the Court has upheld random drug testing of high school student-athletes. In Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County et al. v. Earls (2002), the Court extended that ruling to middle and high school students participating in any extracurricular activity. Discuss the reasoning that the testing is a minimal intrusion? Are the interests of the government in this situation important enough to override individual privacy protection? Should this ruling apply to college students as well? Why or why not?
2. In Warshak v. United States (2007), the Court compared the importance of Fourth Amendment protections to e-mail communications as similar to that of telephone conversations. Do you agree with the ruling? Discuss the three situations in which the Court allowed for the seizure of e-mails by the government.