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Air-traffic controllers strike
On August 3, 1981 13,000 of the 17,500 members of the PATCO alked off the job, hoping to disrupt the nation's transportation system to the extent that the federal government would accede to its demands for higher wages, a shorter work week, and better retirement benefits. -
Equal Access Act
The law was originally heavily promoted by conservative Christian groups to allow students to organize religious clubs in public secondary schools. -
Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act
The law provided for automatic spending cuts to take effect if the president and Congress failed to reach established targets; the U.S. comptroller general was given the right to order spending cuts. -
Iran-Contra Scandal
The Iran-contra affair was the product of two separate initiatives during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. -
Westside Community School District v. Mergens
Denied permission to a group of students who wanted to form a Christian Club in their high school. -
Reno v. ACLU
A group of organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), challenged the “indecent transmission” and “patently offensive display” provisions of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. -
Mitchell v. Helms
A decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that ruled it was permissible for loans to be made to religious schools under Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981. -
Bush v. Gore
The landmark United States Supreme Court decision that effectively resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush.