Equal Protection Clause — Online Journal — Columbia Undergraduate Law Review

State Limitations on Secular School Curriculum: How the Lemon Test Models Scrutiny Over State Discretion

As of July 2021, at least twenty-six states have legislated restrictions on the teaching of critical theory concepts in K-12 public schools. Of these states, seven have passed bills set to go into effect this year. Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Tennessee have enacted curriculum restrictions, district fines, and course credit stipulations in an attempt to regulate the discussion of race, gender, and sexuality in classrooms. [1] The fundamental legal question regarding these laws is whether states are entitled to such discretion in school curricula. Pressure is mounting for the U.S. Supreme Court to review these bans due to conflicting analyses in the lower courts.

Taylor OrmasenAugust 22, 2021Critical Theory, Scrutiny, Hazelwood Test, Lemon Test, Free Speech, Equal Protection Clause, Students Rights, First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment

A Direct Tax on Womanhood: Analyzing the Discriminatory Nature of the Tampon Tax

Menstrual equity, a term coined in the mid-twentieth century by feminist activists, has gained traction in mainstream media with the rise of intersectional dialogue and women’s empowerment. Contemporary feminists have taken this initiative a step further, and have recently begun the zealous advocacy for menstrual equity in the wake of the infamous ‘tampon tax’ - a tax levied on feminine hygiene products due to the fact that they do not meet the “basic necessity” tax exemption.

Megan RodriguezApril 16, 2019menstrual equity, tampon tax, Craig v. Boren, Equal Protection Clause, constitutional law, luxury items, women's rightsComment