Posts for April 14, 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:
Constitution
Check: Can Congress step in and decide how a court case should come out?
[Constitution Daily, 4/14/15]: Lyle Denniston, the National Constitution Center’s
constitutional literacy adviser, looks at a dispute over terrorism victims
suing to get Iranian bank assets held in the United States, and a famous
post-Civil War precedent.
The Rule of History [New Yorker, 4/20/15]: Magna Carta, the Bill of
Rights, and the hold of time.
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:
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:
Voting by Mail Should be
Free [SanJoseInside,
4/13/15]: While parts of our nation
engage in voter suppression, the city of Santa Clara continues to provide new
ways to increase voter participation and provide citizens with tools to
evaluate candidates. The most recent proposal, from Councilmember Dominic
Caserta, calls on the city to provide postage-paid envelopes for ballots.
Clinton’s Short List of Rivals: With
Hillary in, Warren and others drop off our Democratic nomination rankings [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 4/13/15]:
The perfunctory announcement came Sunday afternoon via a roughly 2.5-minute
video, which is clearly targeted at key Democratic constituencies, like women,
minorities, gays and lesbians, and labor. Clinton herself doesn’t appear until
after the video’s halfway point, and she doesn’t interact with any of the
others in the video.
Marco Rubio’s Intriguing Presidential Bid [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 4/13/15]: Early on Monday, news broke that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will run for
president, ending any uncertainty about his future and whether he would remain
in the Senate. He was scheduled to officially announce his candidacy late
Monday afternoon.
New Strategy Against Gay Marriage Divides
GOP 2016 Field [TIME, 4/14/15]: The
U.S. Supreme Court’s expected decision this spring that gay couples have a
constitutional right to marry will for most mark the end of a decades-long
culture war. But a small circle of Christian activists aren’t giving up yet —
and they are already winning over some Republican presidential candidates to
their last-ditch effort. Resting their hopes on an effort to redefine the role
of the federal judiciary, the activists’ argument takes on a central tenet of
modern American politics: that the Supreme Court has the final say on what is
the law of the land.
Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)
Beyond Almonds: A Rogue’s
Gallery of Guzzlers In California’s Drought [KQED, 4/13/15]: California is parched. Wells are running dry. Vegetable
fields have been left fallow and lawns are dying. There must be some villain
behind all this, right?
Myers: Clear Poll, Murky
Politics on California’s Teacher Tenure Laws [KQED, 4/13/15]: It’s a risky
proposition for politicians to sit on the sidelines when public frustration or
anger mounts over something, especially in a state like California, where
voters wield immense power through the ballot box.
http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/04/13/clear-poll-but-murky-politics-on-california-teacher-tenure-laws/
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:
Judge In Atlanta Cheating Case Urges Talks [CNS, 4/14/15]: The
judge overseeing the sentencing of educators convicted for their roles in a
widespread cheating scandal in the Atlanta Public Schools is encouraging
prosecutors and defense attorneys to make a deal.
Judge tells Tsarnaev jurors to
avoid marathon, memorial events [Boston
Herald, 4/14/15]: Jurors — who a week from today
will begin hearing evidence in the death-penalty phase of convicted killer
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — are forbidden to attend Monday’s 119th running of the
Boston Marathon or any events associated with tomorrow’s second anniversary of
the bombings.
Strip searches in Burlco may be costly [Phil. Inquirer, 4/14/15]: Judge's ruling that the
county violated the law could end up costing millions.
Have You Seen the Tape? [Justia, 4/14/15]: Professor Margulies
comments on the recent death of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man whose murder
by a police officer was caught on video and seen by the world. Margulies argues
that Scott’s murder, while highly unusual and anomalous in some ways, also
exemplifies the relationship between law enforcement and black citizens.
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:
New Jersey gay therapy ban is upheld over boy's challenge [Reuters, 4/13/15]: A federal
appeals court on Monday rejected a fresh challenge to New Jersey's ban on
so-called gay conversion therapy for minors, saying the prohibition does not
violate the rights of either children or their parents. The family plans to
appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, said their lawyer.
The ruling in Doe
v. Governor of the State of New Jersey can be found at:
Officials
react after concerns over Islamic law nix proposal [AP,
4/13/15]: Idaho is at
risk of losing millions of dollars in federal child support funding after
conservatives in the Legislature killed a measure that would have brought the
state into compliance with federal rules.
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:
In N.D.,
Church Ceremonies Push Town To Grapple With Gay Rights [NPR’s
“Morning Edition,” 4/14/15]: This
week, Morning
Edition is taking a look at the attitudes about gay rights in North
Dakota, one of 13 states that still bans same-sex marriage.
Preview on same-sex marriage -- Part II,
The states' views [SCOTUS blog, 4/14/15]: Lyle
Denniston has this post -- the
second in a four-part series.
International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
Former Blackwater guards sentenced
for killing Iraqi civilians [Jurist,
4/14/15]: A judge for the US
District Court for the District of Columbia on
Monday sentenced a former Blackwater security contractor to life in prison and
three others to 30 years for the killing
of unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2007.
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