Dixon V. Alabama State Board Of Education Case Study

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Priscilla E. Brigham CRJU 3155 Due April 7, 2014 Dixon v. Alabama State Board of Education When I first received this topic and did preliminary research, it seemed more of a race issue than a juvenile issue, since it happened during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. With further research, I found that it influenced how public colleges and the juvenile justice system handle disciplinary matters. This case was a part of many cases that granted juveniles the right of due process. According to our textbook, due process is a basic constitutional law (found in the 14th amendment) focused on the belief that the individual has primacy and that governmental power should be limited to protect the individual. Due process is supposed to safeguard the individual from unfair state procedures in legal or administrative trails. Because of the case in question, due process rights have been extended to juvenile trials. Another case during this time where due process was in question was the Goldberg v. The Regents of California. The case Dixon v. Alabama State Board of Education involved six black students, including St. John Dixon. These six students sued the Alabama State Board of Education, because they claimed that their expulsion from Alabama State College denied them due process. They were thought to be a part of several large Civil Rights demonstrations throughout the south. The sit-in they held at one of the local diners during lunch gained the most attention. As common practice, the diner refused to serve the students, so the students refused to leave. Shortly after the sit-in, "Alabama State College expelled the students without providing any reason or allowing the students to appeal the decision" (Byrom 151). The students took t... ... middle of paper ... ...as not required to await the outcome of criminal proceedings against the students before taking their own actions against them (Goldberg v. The Regents). Conclusion. Landmark ruling {desire to set foundation for equality} the fifth circuit held that public colleges and universities must extend due process rights to their students in disciplinary hearings. Under the fifth circuit precedent, if a student faces action by a university for academic reasons, rather than disciplinary ones, that student is not entitled to due process and courts won't step in. this is so every academic decision is not scrutinized. Part of the decisions that altered the juvie system to allow due process. The court established that juveniles had the same rights as adults in important areas of trail process, including the right to confront witnesses, notice of charges, and the right to counsel

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