That’s Not Surprising
What to know: A newly released study shows that “Two years after the imposition of a student cell phone ban, student test scores in a large urban school district were significantly higher than before.”
The TPPF take: Cell phones are a harmful distraction for students.
“The research on personal device use demonstrates a significant impact on student performance and educational outcomes,” says TPPF’s David Dunmoyer. “Beyond academic performance, personal devices contribute to cyberbullying, social anxiety, sleep deprivation, and other harms.”
For more on cell phones in classrooms, click here.
The Map Stands
What to know: The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a redistricting map drawn up by Texas lawmakers.
The TPPF take: The high court ruled “the District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections.”
“Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch wrote that it was clear that Texas lawmakers had drawn lines based on partisanship—whether voters were likely Democrats or Republicans—not race, which made the map legal,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “This is a big win for Texas Republicans. It will add five new Texas house seats and energize Republicans across the state who have been engaged in congressional campaigns for months.”
For more on redistricting, click here.
Legal Troubles
What to know: Writing in The Hill, Jonathan Turley warns that “For decades, the American Bar Association (ABA) has moved steadily to the left, taking on a greater level of advocacy and activism as an organization.”
The TPPF take: The highly politicized ABA has long held a stranglehold on accrediting U.S. law schools.
“Even in Texas, the ABA gets to decide which schools’ students can take the bar exam, a prerequisite to practicing law,” says TPPF law clerk Noah Pederson. “Entrusting a private, out-of-state organization with control over Texas legal education is problematic for three reasons: the ABA pushes politically biased standards, and it’s an unconstitutional delegation of power, and it imposes burdensome requirements.”
For more on the ABA, click here.