Monday, March 23, 2015

Posts for March 23, 2015
These are the posts that are accumulated in our newsletter which goes out every 4-6 days. The posts are organized by the major units in our Con Law (5th ed.) textbook

Democracy Day, 2015 [RocktheVote, 3/23/15]: What if one day, once a year, every student in America was asked to register to vote and given the tools they need to participate in elections? -
I. Introduction to Law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court [See TOPICS 1-10 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Why we need law schools [Bloomberg, 3/21/15]: Who needs law school? For centuries, the answer in the English-speaking world was: no one.

II. Defining the Political System: Federalism and Checks and Balances [See TOPICS 11-15 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

The Darkest Timeline [ThinkProgress, 3/23/15]: How The New Deal, The Great Society And Obamacare Could Vanish Overnight.

III. The Political System: Voting and Campaigns [See TOPICS 16-20 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

California governor calls Ted Cruz 'unfit' to run for president [AP, 3/23/15]: California Gov. Jerry Brown says U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz' views on climate change make the Texas Republican unfit to run for president and that he would entertain making another bid for the White House himself if he were younger.

IV. Criminal Law and Procedure (4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th amendments) [See TOPICS 21-28 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:


U.S. top court to hear Louisiana life-without-parole sentencing case [Reuters, 3/23/15]: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a Louisiana man's appeal of a sentence of life in prison without parole that he received for murdering when he was 17 years old a police officer in 1963.

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Case on SFPD Shooting of Mentally Ill Woman [SF Chron, 3/22/15]: The Supreme Court is weighing two issues: Whether the Americans With Disabilities Act requires police to provide accommodations to an “armed, violent, and mentally ill suspect in the course of bringing the suspect into custody,” and whether two San Francisco police officers violated the 4th Amendment rights of Teresa Sheehan when they forced their way into her apartment after discovering she was armed with a bread knife.

V. 1st Amendment (Speech, Religion, Press and Assembly) [See TOPICS 29-33 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Supreme Court to decide if Confederate flag licenses plates are a First Amendment right [McClatchy / NPR’s Morning Edition, 3/21/15]: The case is Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Liberty.

Court denies review in false political ads law case [Concurring Opinions, 3/23/15]: Also here is a compilation of the current status of the First Amendment docket.

VI. 14th Amendment, Discrimination, Privacy, Working, Citizenship & Immigration [See TOPICS 34-41 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Kansas Schools Fight Plays Out Against Backdrop of Debate on Judiciary [NY Times, 3/23/15]: This state’s judicial and legislative branches are on course for a constitutional clash after a state appellate court suggested that it might block a school financing plan that lawmakers passed.

Civil Rights Complaints Reach All-Time High at Dept. of Ed. [EdLawProfs blog, 3/23/15]: The Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education is tasked with investigating complaints of race, gender, ethnic, disability, language discrimination, and age, and ensuring that schools are in compliance with the relevant law. 

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