Posts for April 12, 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
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:
Is the Supreme Court broken? [MSNBC, 4/12/15]: “How do you get the American people to understand what
their institutions are about, that [the Supreme Court is] not up in some heaven
somewhere, where we decree things from on high, communicating directly with
some mysterious source, that we’re part of the government of the United
States?”
Stetson law prof took Gideon case to Supreme Court, but believed
in the other side [Tampa Bay
Trib, 4/11/15]: He was 27, just three years out of law school. He had seen
Washington, D.C. once in his life, driving through on the way to somewhere
else. Now he was flying to the city to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme
Court. THIS IS A GREAT ARTICLE TO USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY SHOWING OF GIDEON’S
TRUMPET or discussion of the case!
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
American Presidency
[TOPIC 15]
Here's A Look At The Most
Ridiculously Long Judicial Vacancies The Senate Still Hasn't Filled [Huff Post, 4/10/15]: The Senate
will do something next week that it hasn't done all year: confirm a judicial
nominee.
New York, California Dems
square off over Iran [The Hill,
4/11/15]: Democrats are badly split on
geographic and political lines over whether to support or oppose a bill
allowing Congress to review and possibly vote on a nuclear deal with Iran. The
debate is pitting New York Democrats worried about losing Jewish donors to
Republicans against California Democrats determined to back President Obama.
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:
Clinton tries again to
crack 'highest glass ceiling' with White House bid [Reuters, 4/11/15]: Hillary Clinton will take
another stab at cracking what she calls "the highest and hardest glass
ceiling" on Sunday when she starts a long-awaited second run for the White
House as the prohibitive Democratic front runner.
Will the 'real Democrat'
please stand up? [CC Times,
4/12/15]: They support Democratic touchstone issues such as environmentalism,
gun control, gay marriage and abortion rights. But they're often seen as party
pariahs for espousing ideas like rolling back public workers' pensions, banning
transit strikes and making it easier to fire bad teachers.
The Supreme Court in the Citizens
United Era [Professor
Raskin in People for the American Way, 4/11/15]: A Century After the Lochner Era, the Roberts
Court Imposes a Startling New Corporatism on America.
Escalating Water Wars:
California Politics Podcast [KQED,
4/10/15]: This week, we tackle the ongoing state response to California’s
drought (are almonds really the state’s enemy No. 1?). We also discuss the
biggest fine ever levied against a state utility and a package of immigration
bills touted by Democratic lawmakers.
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:
Man loses appeal of sentence in school threats case [AP, 4/11/15]: A
federal appeals court has upheld the six-year sentence given a man who pleaded
guilty to making threats against a Mississippi school.
Nevada has 80 on death row, but no place to
execute [Las Vegas Review-Journal,
4/11/15]: Lawmakers again are being asked to fund a new execution
chamber at Ely State Prison so Nevada can be prepared to carry out a lethal
injection should a court order be issued. The facility in remote eastern Nevada
is the state’s only maximum security prison.
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:
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:
Marriage Arrives: The Supreme Court
is finally taking up same-sex marriage [Slate’s Amicus,
4/11/15]: How did we get here and what should we expect next? This is a podcast
worth listening to with Dahlia Lithwick.
Grieving widower takes lead in major gay
marriage case [USA Today,
4/11/15]: Jim Obergefell and John
Arthurspent more than two decades living quietly together. They were never gay
rights activists. Most of their friends weren't even gay.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/10/supreme-court-gay-marriage-obergefell/25512405/
International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
Border braces for new
surge [The Hill, 4/11/15]:
Officials at the southern border are bracing for another wave of child
immigrants in the coming months, though they anticipate a much lower crest than
last year.
UN human rights official to make
emergency trip to IS-controlled Syrian camp [Jurist, 4/12/15]: The UN announced on
Saturday that the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency will make an urgent trip to Yarmouk, a Syrian refugee camp
that has fallen under control of the Islamic State (IS).
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