# Help 2 law students settle a bet with this hypothetical law case **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015 "2012-10-07T19:36:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![krismichelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@krismichelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krismichelle)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/1 "2012-10-07T19:36:43Z")
It’s 1915, and you have just entered into what promises to be a very lucrative mutual firm corporation arrangement which positions you and your partners to become the sole distributor for all motion pictures that can be screened in the Cleveland metro area. Even though scarcely a decade old, the cinema industry is booming and your enterprise is posed to expand exponentially. Unfortunately, soon after going into business your firm is rocked by the Ohio stat legislature which passes a law establishing a state-wide board with the power to ban all films it judges to be not “of a moral educational or amusing and harmless character.” Immediately seeing the negative impact of such a development, you quickly bring suit in federal court to challenge the new statute. What arguments can you make to hopefully prevail? What arguments might the state be expect to make to sustain its new law? ---
**Author:** ![gms453](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@gms453](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gms453)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/2 "2012-10-07T19:50:02Z")
> [@krismichelle](#): > > It’s 1915, and you have just entered into what promises to be a very lucrative mutual firm corporation arrangement which positions you and your partners to become the sole distributor for all motion pictures that can be screened in the Cleveland metro area. Even though scarcely a decade old, the cinema industry is booming and your enterprise is posed to expand exponentially. Unfortunately, soon after going into business your firm is rocked by the Ohio stat legislature which passes a law establishing a state-wide board with the power to ban all films it judges to be not “of a moral educational or amusing and harmless character.” Immediately seeing the negative impact of such a development, you quickly bring suit in federal court to challenge the new statute. What arguments can you make to hopefully prevail? What arguments might the state be expect to make to sustain its new law? Sounds like a typical law school or bar examination question. If it is, do the work needed to answer it yourself. How do you expect to learn the craft of lawyering if you don’t? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/3 "2012-10-07T19:53:30Z")
Is this bet about who can put off their homework the longest and still get the paper in on time? Why don’t you give us a couple to start, just in good faith. ---
**Author:** ![krismichelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@krismichelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krismichelle)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/4 "2012-10-07T21:27:19Z")
I think that the person who is filing the claim could argue, that it is a violation of his “pursuit of happyness” right in the Constitution or something like that. I think the state will expect to make its case by, …I honestly Don’t know how… ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/5 "2012-10-07T21:56:02Z")
IANAL, but freedom of speech? ---
**Author:** ![krismichelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@krismichelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krismichelle)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/6 "2012-10-07T22:05:53Z")
thats what i initially thought, but it can’t be that simple right? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/7 "2012-10-07T22:20:54Z")
> [@krismichelle](#): > > his “pursuit of happyness” right in the Constitution Let me guess–you’re not really a law student. ---
**Author:** ![krismichelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@krismichelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krismichelle)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/8 "2012-10-07T22:38:15Z")
No, I am a PR student…but I have to take a law class so, I have no understanding of law… My friend bet me that no one would help me if I asked on the internet…and i guess he was right… ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-2-law-students-settle-a-bet-with-this-hypothetical-law-case/637015/9 "2012-10-07T22:55:02Z")
Yes please do your own homework. Thread closed.