Experience, Dedication, Professionalism
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Section Index

The Constitutional Issue

An Analysis of Urinalysis

Part V: Freedom v. Safety

News annotations

Yale Avalon Project – Bill of Rights

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Fourth Amendment

The Fourth Amendment

Drug testing in the workplace

Early in his newspaper career, Bruce T. Murray wrote a five-part series on drug testing in the workplace. Written for the Times-Republic (Watseka, Ill.), the series focuses on privacy, safety and constitutional issues. Three parts of the series are available here:

The Constitutional Issue

Shortly before this series was written (1991-92), the Supreme Court upheld drug testing in Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives' Association and National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab. This article surveys the constitutional issues and the precedent laid out in these cases.

An Analysis of Urinalysis

This article covers the many technical and legal issues regarding this practice of employment screening.

Part V: Freedom v. Safety

Local high school teacher Jim Walker teaches his students about the conflict between freedom and safety.


News annotations

Secure in their persons?

Supreme Court rules that a school's strip search of teenage girl violates Fourth Amendment. See news series on the Fourth Amendment and drug testing.

The Bill of Rights – then, and now

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution were ratified 118 years ago, Dec. 15, 2009. “Could we find wise leaders today who would put aside politics for the good of the country? Indeed, can we even manage to address the controversial issues that do face us? How many Madisons are out there willing to compromise or reverse positions for the good of the country?” – Los Angeles Times op-ed by Jonathan Estrin and Marshall Croddy, president and vice president of the Constitutional Rights Foundation.