John A. Fliter is an associate professor of political science at Kansas State University. He received his B.A. in political science from California State University, Northridge, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park. He has written articles on freedom of speech, church-state relations, the jurisprudence of Justice David Souter, and prison reform litigation. His articles have appeared in The Journal of Political Science Education, Law and Society Review, Southeastern Political Review, Journal of Church and State, The Justice Professional, and the Free Speech Yearbook. His recent book, Child Labor in America: The Epic Legal Struggle to Protect Children, was published by the University Press of Kansas in May 2018. His other books include Fighting Foreclosure: The Blaisdell Case, the Contract Clause, and the Great Depression, co-authored with Derek Hoff, University Press of Kansas (2012), and Prisoners’ Rights: The Supreme Court and Evolving Standards of Decency, Greenwood Press (2001).
With so many states seeking weaker child labor protections, a federal-state showdown over the question of whether young people in the United States belong in the workforce is inevitable.
