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Air-Traffic Controllers Strike
This strike was about seeking better working conditions, better pay,and a 32-hour workweek. The labor strike of 1981 showed the members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association's (PATCO) concern with the working conditions they were provided with. -
Equal Access Act
Congress's primary goal in passing this Act, according to the Supreme Court, was to end “perceived widespread discrimination” against religious speech in public school. It stated that student speech, including religious speech, should not be eliminated from the school environment. -
Iran-Contra Scandal
This was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986.The scandal began as an operation to free American hostages being held by terrorist groups. It was planned that Israel would ship weapons to Iran, and then the U.S. would resupply Israel and receive the Israeli payment. The Iranian recipients promised to do everything in their power to achieve the release of six U.S. hostages. The plan was destroyed when Reagan found sales reciepts in November. -
Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act
This act is also know as the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act. The act specified that if the administration and Congress were unable to reach agreement on a budget deficit that came within $10 billion, automatic and across-the-board spending reductions would be implemented in all programs except Social Security, interest payments on the national debt, and certain low-income entitlements. -
Westside Community School District v. Mergens
This court case was ruled by Cheif Justice William Rehnquist. The ruling was school districts may not prohibit Bible study groups from meeting on school premises if they allow other groups to meet on school premises. -
Reno v. ACLU
Cheif Justice William Rehnquist ruled that the CDA are unconstitutional and unenforceable, except for cases of obscenity or child pornography, because they abridge the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment. The Internet is entitled to the full protection and the special factors justifying government regulation of broadcast media do not apply. -
Bush v. Gore
In the circumstances of this case, any manual recount of votes seeking to meet the December 12 “safe harbor” deadline would be unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Florida Supreme Court reversed and remanded.In the United States Supreme Court, this decision effectively resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush. -
Mitchell v. Helms
The court ruled that it was permissible for loans to be made to religious schools in this manner under Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981.