War of principles [Dershowitz in the Boston Globe, 9/14/14]: How should a democracy decide when to compromise its ideals in pursuit of victory?

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/09/13/fighting-terrorism-under-democracy-rule-law/QCfj8ChnNjusw60PEoFvJO/story.html

Syrian execution sets off debate over current events lessons [Cabinet Report, 9/15/14]: But in an unsettling episode last month, Channel One News – one of the nation’s largest providers of daily news content to public schools – included in its lineup a graphic story on the horrifying beheading of journalist James Foley by Islamic extremists.

https://www.cabinetreport.com/curriculum-instruction/syrian-execution-sets-off-debate-over-current-events-lessons

Challenging the Privacy of Statements Inside the Jury Room [Sidebar, NY Times, 9/15/14]:  In the summer of 2006, not far from Mount Rushmore, a truck collided with a motorcycle. The rider lost part of his leg. The rider sued, but a South Dakota jury sided with the truck driver. A few days later, one of the jurors approached the rider’s lawyer. The juror, Stacey Titus, said he was having second thoughts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/16/us/challenging-the-privacy-of-statements-inside-the-jury-room.html?_r=0

A Conversation with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg [FORA.tv , 9/14/14]: It’s about an hour long, but worth it.

http://fora.tv/2014/09/12/A_Conversation_with_Justice_Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg

Texas asks court to allow closure of most clinics [AP, 9/14/14]: Texas asked a federal appeals court Friday to allow the state to immediately enforce a law requiring all abortion clinics to adhere to costly standards required for walk-in surgical clinics, which would close more than half of the state's abortion facilities.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ABORTION_RESTRICTIONS_TEXAS

All the Reasons Democrats Are Screwed This November [The Atlantic Wire, 9/15/14]: As the 2014 midterm election campaign heats up, all indications are that Democrats are headed for a trouncing at the hands of Republicans.

http://www.thewire.com/politics/2014/09/all-the-reasons-democrats-are-screwed-this-november/379971/

Several Domestic Violence Bills Pending [CPR, 9/15/14]: Women’s advocacy groups are eagerly waiting to see how many domestic violence-related bills California Governor Jerry Brown will sign. There are more than 20 on his desk. But several important measures have already gone into effect. 

http://www.capradio.org/32101

Justices Get Schooled in Rap; Amicus briefs emerge in First Amendment case [NLJ, 9/15/14]: The musical tastes of several U.S. Supreme Court justices run toward opera. But as the start of its fall term approaches, the court is getting an intense education in another genre: the rhythmic, slangy — sometimes violent — poetry of rap music.

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/home/id=1202669974445

IRS Monitoring Religious Groups [Justia, 9/15/14]: Professor Rotunda comments on the IRS monitoring of religious groups.

Appeals Court Rejects Suit Alleging Race Bias in Special Education Placements [School Law Blog / CNS, 9/15/14]: A divided federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit alleging that a Pennsylvania school district acted with racial bias when it disproportionately assigned African-American students to special education classes. Similar claims have been asserted elsewhere across the country for years—that some schools wrongly misidentify African-American students for special education or disproportionately place them put in classes with low expectations.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2014/09/appeals_court_rejects_suit_all.html

http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/09/15/71401.htm

International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]

Surveillance and privacy [Alan Dershowitz, Boston Globe, 9\/15/14]: Snowden case reveals a program with few checks and little accountability.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/09/14/dershowitz/nUBlr9N3HmWNSkQEX8OmGJ/story.html