Robert Cahill, an alumnus of the Patricia and Douglas Perry Honors College at Old Dominion University, will conduct a series "Law and Society" Master Classes in the coming weeks.
Cahill earned his bachelor of arts degree in political science from ODU in 1991 and his juris doctor degree from the University of Richmond School of Law in 1995. He is a commercial litigation partner with Cooley LLP in Reston, Virginia. Cahill focuses on representing companies in the technology, real estate and life sciences industries, among others, in a diverse range of high-stakes, complex disputes.
Here are his classes, which are for Honors College students and members of ODU's Pre-Law Association, and the cases he will discuss (all sessions will be conducted at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom):
March 16: Introduction and Right of Free Speech for Students
- Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) (students wearing black armbands to protest Vietnam War) https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/393/503
- Morse v. Frederick (2007) (student displaying "Bong hits 4 Jesus" sign) https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/06-278.ZS.html
April 6: Fundamental Liberties
- Griswold v. Connecticut (1963) (right of privacy) https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/381/479
- Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) (same sex marriage; Cahill suggests because this is so long, read the Kennedy majority opinion and Roberts' dissent) https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/14-556
April 20: Equal Protection
- Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) (racially segregated public schools) https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483/USSC_PRO_347_483_1
- United States v. Virginia (1994) (law prohibiting females from attending VMI) https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/94-1941.ZS.html
