In honor of Constitution Day, please gather as a community for a forum this Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 12:45 PM in the Chase Center.

VLS Professors Pat Parenteau, Jessica West and Peter Teachout will discuss several of the important decisions issued during the United States Supreme Court's most recent term.

Cases to be discussed include:

McCullen v. Coakley, No. 12-1168 [Arg: 1.15.2014 Trans./Aud.; Decided 06.26.2014]

Holding: A Massachusetts law which makes it a crime to stand on a public road or sidewalk within thirty-five feet of a reproductive health care facility violates the First Amendment.

Town of Greece v. Galloway, No. 12-696 [Arg: 11.6.2013 Trans./Aud.; Decided 05.05.2014]

Holding: The town's practice of opening its town board meetings with a prayer offered by members of the clergy does not violate the Establishment Clause when the practice is consistent with the tradition long followed by Congress and state legislatures, the town does not discriminate against minority faiths in determining who may offer a prayer, and the prayer does not coerce participation with non-adherents.

Riley v. California, No. 13-132 [Arg: 4.29.2014 Trans./Aud.; Decided 06.25.2014]

Holding: The police generally may not, without a warrant, search digital information on a cellphone seized from an individual who has been arrested.

Utility Air Regulatory Group v. Environmental Protection Agency, No. 12-1146 [Arg: 2.24.2014 Trans./Aud.; Decided 6.23.14]

Holding: The Clean Air Act neither compels nor permits the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt an interpretation of the Clean Air Act requiring a stationary source of pollution to obtain a "Prevention of Significant Deterioration" or Title V permit on the sole basis of its potential greenhouse-gas emission. However, EPA reasonably interpreted the Clean Air Act to require sources that would need permits based on their emission of conventional pollutants to comply with "best available control technology" for greenhouse gases.

This presentation is part of the Faculty Speaker Series, co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Center, the Virginia and Julien Cornell Library, and the Faculty Development Committee.