1. Please discuss the mandates of the Supreme Court's "strict scrutiny" test and explain what they mean. Include in your discussion whether courts have provided clear guidelines on how to observe the mandates of this test, or whether there is flexibility in its application essential to adapting to changing circumstances.

2. In several states, employers generally are prohibited from making hiring decisions based primarily on felony or misdemeanor convictions, except under certain circumstances. If a candidate has a criminal record on their background check and the conviction relates directly to the job being sought, how should the employer approach this? Conversely, if the job does not relate directly to the conviction record, absent some other disqualifying factor is the employer required to move forward with hiring the candidate? Why or why not?