Priscilla E. BrighamCRJU 3155Due April 7, 2014Dixon v. Alabama State Board of Education When I first received this topic and did some preliminary research, it seemed to be more of a race issue than a problem. juvenile issue, since this occurred during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. With further research, I found that this influenced the way public colleges and the juvenile justice system handled disciplinary matters . This case was one of many that granted minors the right to due process. According to our textbook, due process is a fundamental constitutional law (found in the 14th Amendment) focused on the belief that the individual has primacy and that governmental power should be limited to protect the individual. Due process is intended to protect the individual against unjust state processes in judicial or administrative channels. Due to the case in question, due process rights were extended to juvenile trials. Another case around this time where due process was being questioned was Goldberg v. The Regents of California. Dixon v. Alabama State Board of Education involved six black students, including St. John Dixon. These six students sued the Alabama State Board of Education because they claimed their expulsion from Alabama State College denied them due process. They were thought to participate in several large civil rights demonstrations throughout the South. The sit-in they staged at one of the local restaurants during lunch got the most attention. As was common practice, the restaurant refused to serve the students, and they therefore refused to leave. Shortly after the sit-in, “Alabama State College expelled the students without providing any reason or allowing the students to appeal the decision” (Byrom 151). The students took middle of paper...... because they were not required to await the outcome of criminal proceedings against the students before taking their own action against them (Goldberg v. The Regents). Conclusion. In a landmark decision {desire to lay the groundwork for equality}, the Fifth Circuit ruled that public colleges and universities must extend due process rights to their students during disciplinary hearings. Under Fifth Circuit precedent, if a student faces action by a university for academic rather than disciplinary reasons, that student is not entitled to due process and the courts will not intervene. Thus, every academic decision is not reviewed. Part of the decisions that changed the juvie system to allow due process. The court established that juveniles have the same rights as adults in important areas of the trial process, including the right to confront witnesses, notice of charges, and the right to counsel..