Posts for April 19, 2015

These are the posts that are accumulated in our newsletter which goes out every 4-6 days during the school year. The posts are organized by the major units in our Con Law (5^th ed.) student textbook.

I. Introduction to Law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court [See TOPICS 1-10 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

In Changing Times, Rethink Life Tenure for Justices [Jost on Justice blog, 4/19/15]: Times change, and conventional wisdom changes. But these days the membership of the Supreme Court changes less and less frequently. Justices are younger when appointed, they live longer, and they stay on the bench for the most part until age or health forces them to leave. Just ask Ruth Bader Ginsburg about retirement.  

http://jostonjustice.blogspot.com/2015/04/in-changing-times-rethink-life-tenure.html

Amicus: The Politics of Law [Slate podcast, 4/18/15]: In anticipation of big decisions on marriage equality and Obamacare, many are talking about the balance of political power on the Supreme Court; Is that fair?

http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/amicus/2015/04/getting_inside_the_mind_of_supreme_court_justices.html

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

Voting Rights, by the Numbers [NY Times editorial, 4/18/15]: When the Supreme Court struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, its main argument was that the law was outdated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/opinion/sunday/voting-rights-by-the-numbers.html?_r=0

Balz: Politics All politics are local? Think again. [Wash Post, 4/19/15]: If you think all politics are local, as former House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill (D) always said, think again. The same forces that have created the deep, partisan divide in presidential elections are now changing the nature — and outcomes — of House and Senate elections. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/all-politics-are-local-think-again/2015/04/18/ac17300e-e541-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html?wprss=rss_politics

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

 

California vaccine legislation spurs legal debate over right to education [SJ Merc, 4/19/15]: California's Constitution spells out the right to a free public education, and lawmakers have fortified that guarantee over the years by safeguarding students against discrimination and inequality in the classroom.

http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_27941931/california-vaccine-legislation-spurs-legal-debate-over-right

Lawmakers push to revamp teacher evaluations [San Diego U-T, 4/19/15]: With teacher employment rules high on the public agenda, a flurry of new bills has been introduced to the Legislature that would change how California educators are hired, fired and evaluated — even as a landmark legal dispute on the matter hangs in the balance. 

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/apr/18/lawmakers-push-to-overhaul-teacher-evaluations/

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

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

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

Gender, not sexuality, matters in marriage fight [USA Today, 4/19/15]: Bans on gay unions illegal because they discriminate against men & women, not gays.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/04/19/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage-constitutionality-discrimination-column/70225124/