Assignment:
Q1: A group of students who have formed a student organization to promote their religious beliefs have requested that you advise them. They are upset about a recent U.S. military policy and action and would like to organize a protest march to a cemetery where private services for a deceased soldier are scheduled to take place. They also show you posters and signs they intend to bring with them when they march to the cemetery. Their signs contain what you believe are outrageous statements attacking the deceased soldier as well as various racial and religious groups and you are concerned about the strong negative and angry reactions their signs and plans are likely to cause. What advice about the law would you provide to them?
They listen to your advice but a week later they proceed with their march and cemetery protest and on the way to the cemetery three members of the student group are involved in altercations with counter protesters who are marching and protesting the student group and their actions.
One of the students suffers a head injury when a counter protester is seen throwing or losing their grip on one of their own signs which they were waiving in the general direction of the student group members. A second student group member during an argument with a counter protester injures her wrist and hand when the sign she is carrying is hit by a counter protester sign. A third student punches a counter protester in the face as the counter protester ran toward the third student aiming the pointed end of their wood protest sign at the third student.
The third student is arrested by the police and is also sued by the counter protester she punched in the face. A week after the march and protest the members of the student religious group who organized the march and protest is still very upset. The group has been sued by the family of the deceased soldier. One of their members is still in the hospital, a second member will need delicate hand surgery and a third is facing both criminal charges and a lawsuit. The student group leader again asks for you advice. She wants to know what does the law have to say about what happened? What additional information would you ask the student leader to provide to you? What advice about the law would you provide to her?
Q2: Your advice to the student leader has impressed her and the members of her group. She believes you have learned and understand a lot about the law. Her group recently received a very large amount of money in the form of donations to the group following nationwide coverage of their march and protest and the group has just purchased a small building formerly containing real estate agency offices which the group plans on using as both a residence for some members and as an office for group activities. She is upset because after completing the property purchase and obtaining the keys she noticed that many of the items she saw in the building are now missing. 5 desks are missing having apparently been removed by the seller. A kitchen area is now empty formerly containing a refrigerator a stove and a sink.
All of the artwork is gone. A chandelier style light from the entryway on the first floor and a basketball post, back stop, hoop and basket from the driveway are also missing. She shows you a letter from a city department inquiring about a claim and complaint by a neighbor that students have been observed moving beds into the building The group leader and members again seek your advice. What questions would you ask? What advice about the law would you provide to the group?
Include in each of your answers a clear statement identifying each of the issues that you are able to identify. Please also include a complete statement of the rules of law relevant to the issues identified by you (with a complete statement of the definition of each rule of law) and then apply the facts in the fact pattern to the rules of law identified by you to build argument(s) for your conclusion(s).