Ohio Northern University will observe Constitution Day with a showing of “Search and Seizure: Mapp vs. Ohio,” a short documentary from The Constitution Project, in the Dicke Forum on Monday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

This documentary explores the Fourth Amendment case Mapp vs. Ohio, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that evidence illegally obtained by police is not admissible in state courts. This 1961 case redefined the rights of the accused. Following the showing of the documentary, Bryan Ward, ONU associate dean and professor of law, will conduct a question-and-answer session to discuss issues arising from search and seizure.

Ward joined the ONU Law faculty in 1999 after five years in the general practice of law with a focus on bankruptcy and commercial litigation in Troy, Ohio, and the greater Dayton, Ohio area. Ward teaches in the areas of criminal law and criminal procedure and writes in the areas of criminal sentencing and criminal procedure.

Ward also frequently gives continuing legal education presentations in the areas of legal ethics and professionalism as well as legal issues affecting churches.

He was member of the 2008 Fellows Class of the Ohio State Bar Foundation and served for two terms on the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on the Certification of Attorneys as Specialists. He currently serves on the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.

The screening of the movie and the discussion are held in accordance with a federal mandate passed in 2004, which stipulates that every school and college that receives federal money must teach about the Constitution on or near the date of Sept. 17, the day the document was adopted in 1787.