The students on my Moot Court team have been working hard to prepare for their mock Supreme Court appeal. (Our tournament slot is Friday--cross your fingers, dear reader!) Yesterday, we spent the whole day in Manhattan at the firm of Crowell & Moring, home to our lovely law firm partners and attorney coaches. They were wonderful, and the kids had a great time hanging out in the 26th floor conference room, snacking on a catered lunch and trying to prep their arguments while battling pretty serious cases of nerves.
But that's not the point. This post is not about how adorable and "go get 'em" these kids are. This post is just to share with you my new absolute favorite phrase from a legal document. One of the issues we are arguing relates to First Amendment rights in a school setting. As I was briefing a related case (Fricke v. Lynch--interesting reading and worth looking into), I came across this, the most marvelous thing I have ever read:
"The first amendment does not tolerate mob rule by unruly school children."
I am definitely posting that in my classroom until further notice. In a week that has seen the vicious pummeling of a pregnant girl in the hallway by dozens of kids, three students tell me that I have no idea what the Constitution is about because I told them that the First Amendment is not limitless in its protection of free speech, especially in the school setting, and a horde of kids chasing each other around the hallways armed with parts of desks, I'm feeling sort of smug about the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled in MY FAVOR.
Now, if I could only get the kids to see it that way...
Hmm....
In the meantime, I bring you live feed of six puppies. Beware, it is far more addictive than a reasonable person might assume.
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