Mandated Reporting

In my experience with college students the legal requirements of mandated reporting of suspicion of child abuse and neglect is mostly unknown. One positive outcome from the recent events at Penn State is to bring public recognition to both the legal requirements and the moral obligations of all persons to protect children from abuse. Many legislatures are reviewing the mandated reporting statutes to determine their efficacy in light of these recent revelations.

The video below is a good basic introduction to the issue of mandated reporting.

Featured Website: LawInfo.com YouTube Channel

The Law Info You Tube channel has a plethora of short (around 1:00) videos that are great for introducing legal topics or defining terms. I find that students can zone out on my voice.  Sure, I can define a promissory note or briefly introduce the concept of employment discrimination, but having another face/voice do it gives an opportunity to have students close laptops to look up at a video and lends credibility to what I have to say (since the video lawyer agrees).  Below are some examples:

Click on the image below to see a video on Promissory Notes:



Click on the image below to see a video on Commercial Speech:

Contemplating The True Nature of Law

Is "Law" a set of universally recognized truths about right and wrong? Or, is "Law" nothing more than the policy decision of law-makers designed to shape society in particular ways or to satisfy an electoral impulse? Or, is it a combination of both?

This video from newt Gingrich speaking at Harvard may be a good discussion starter.

Songs of the Supreme Court

This is Thanksgiving Week and there are no classes at UConn. I thought it would be a good week to make a fun post and leave it up until classes resume next week.

This post is made up of songs realted to U.S. Supreme Court cases. I found songs on a few cases, but I am sure that there are more out there that readers will be able to share.  Please us the comment section at the end of the post to add your favorites and suggestions.

1. Brown v. Board of Education
The song Black and White written by David Arkin (Alan Arkin's father) and Earl Robinson.was inspired by the Brown case. The most famous recording of the song was by Three Dog Night in the 1970's.  However, that version inexplicably removed all the poignant references to the court. The version below is from Pete Seeger.



2. Loving v. Virginia
Singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith wrote and recorded this song to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this landmark decision.



3. United States v. US District Court
The song John Sinclair was written by John Lennon prior to this Supreme Court decision. Sinclair was one of the defendants whose case made up the subject of  the Supreme Court case.  Lennon famously performed the song at the "John Sinclair Freedom Rally" in Ann Arbor, MI in 1971.



4. Snyder v. Phelps (Westboro Baptist Church)
There are a large number of songs available on-line in response to the Westboro Baptist Church protests that were upheld by this decision. Many of them cannot be shared in polite company. I chose the one embedded below because I thought it best exemplified Justice Holmes' "marketplace of ideas" (although the phrase was coined by Justice Brennan).



If you have a song related to a Supreme Court case that you would like to share, please feel free to send it to me for a future post at mark.deangelis@uconn.edu.  I look forward you  to your comments and suggestions.

Law Music Video - Renegade

This week's installment in the "Law Music Videos" series is Renegade by Styx. I recommend maximum volume - especially just before your 8:00 AM class starts. No "drowsyheads" after this.

Law music videos played before your class starts will positively contribute to learning.

Immigration Law is Baffling

Today's post is not really a classroom resource.  Rather it is an invitation to begin a conversation that can lead to learning.

As the son of an immigrant, I am embarrassed to admit that I know very little about immigration law and procedure. I only glean what I can from anectdotes reported by the press - and I rarely trust the press to accurately report a complex issue. Whenever an issue comes up in class regarding illegal immigration, I often get angry responses from students who feel that immigrants can readily choose between immigrating legally or illegally and, therefore, choosing to immigrate illegally should be punished. Not being particularly familiar with the process from a professional (legal) standpoint, I was under the belief that the legal immigration process could not be navigated unless one had significant education or funds to hire expensive lawyers, or both. Once again, I don't know if this is true or not - but that was the impression I had from reading news articles like this one. I am under the impression that illegal immigration is the only realistic option for anyone who is not a "person of means."  Am I right or wrong?   Hopefully, someone with knowledge or expertise in this area can post a clarifying comment.

This following video seems to support the assumption that legal immigration is not a realistic option for many people.



This video is more encouraging, but still - lawyer's fees are involved.

Law Lessong - The Takings Clause

The next installment in the “Law Lessong” series is The Takings Clause. The lyrics for this song were written by Alex Bansak, a student in my Legal and Ethical Environment of Business class at the University of Connecticut. Students may submit law songs for credit. In order to fashion a rhyming scheme that matches a melody, a student must carefully examine and distill legal principles and the language that expresses the legal principles. This video features Alex's performance of the song as he submitted it for credit and use in the class. The song helps students consider the legal and practical parameters of the Eminent Domain power.

Learn more about Law Lessongs from the post found here.  More videos may be found at my youtube channel. Please feel free to use them in the classroom or as assignments or in any way that they work for you as an educational resource.