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Legal Roundtable: Affirmative Action, School Transfer, Phone Data Collection, Etc.

James Cridland via Flickr

The top legal issue in the day’s news was the U.S.  Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action at the University of Texas.  Instead of the expected decision, the high court, in essence, punted  by returning the case to the lower court for further examination.  The 7-1 decision said that while diversity is a worthwhile goal, its implementation is subject to great scrutiny.  Affirmative action can only be used if it can be proved that there is no other way to achieve that diversity.  The Supreme Court ruled that in the University of Texas case, the lower court had not used strict enough scrutiny to the University’s admission policy.

Host Don Marsh talked with a panel of legal experts to explain the affirmative action and other issues. 

The panelists included:

  • William Freivogel, J.D., Director, School of Journalism; Associate Professor, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
  • Mark Smith, J.D., Associate Vice Chancellor and Director, The Career Center, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Kim Jones, J.D., Senior Staff Attorney, 8th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals

Other topics included:

  • The Missouri Supreme Court decision upholding the Turner law allowing students in unaccredited districts to transfer to an adjacent accredited district at the expense of their home district, including transportation
  • The legality and public opinion on the collection and retention of phone data for security purposes
  • The U.S. Supreme Court decision on the collection of DNA samples by people who are arrested, but not yet convicted
  • St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom’s stand on the use of drones in law enforcement

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Mary Edwards is a producer for St. Louis Public Radio's broadcast program, "St. Louis Symphony."
Alex is the executive producer of "St. Louis on the Air" at St. Louis Public Radio.
Don Marsh served as host of St. Louis Public Radio’s “St. Louis on the Air" from 2005 to 2019, bringing discussions of significant topics to listeners' ears at noon Monday through Friday. Don has been an active journalist for 58 years in print, radio and television. He has won 12 Regional Emmy Awards for writing, reporting, and producing. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame in 2013, and named “Media Person of the Year” by the St. Louis Press Club in 2015. He has published three books: his most recent, “Coming of Age, Liver Spots and All: A Humorous Look at the Wonders of Getting Old,” “Flash Frames: Journey of a Journeyman Journalist” and “How to be Rude (Politely).” He holds an honorary Doctor of Arts and Letters degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.