Posts for April 7, 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 (5^th ed.) 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:

A Response to Chief Justice Roberts' Put-Down of Law Reviews [Tony Mauro in the BLT, 4/6/15]: Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.’s offhand 2011 criticism of law review articles has stung legal academics ever since. Nearly four years later, his comment has finally met its match in the form of … a law review article.
http://www.nationallawjournal.com/legaltimes/id=1202722706623/A-Response-to-Chief-Justice-Roberts-PutDown-of-Law-Reviews?cmp=share_twitter&slreturn=20150307114600

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:

Big impact on women if Supreme Court rules against health care tax credits [McClatchy, 4/6/15]: The high court is expected to decide in June whether to continue the tax credits for Appelbaum and others who live in the 34 states where the federal government operates the health insurance marketplace.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/04/06/262222/big-impact-on-women-if-supreme.html

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:

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:

The Price of a Life [The New Yorker, 4/13/15]: What's the right way to compensate someone for decades of lost freedom?

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/13/the-price-of-a-life

San Diego Revenge-Porn Convict Gets 18 Years [CNS, 4/6/15]: A state court judge has sentenced California's first revenge-porn convict to 18 years behind bars, following his conviction last month for extortion and identity theft.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/04/06/san-diego-revenge-porn-convict-gets-18-years.htm

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:

Appeals court: Bans on outdoor charity collection bins unconstitutional [Michigan Radio, 4/6/15]: A federal appeals court says a central Michigan city cannot enforce its ordinance that bans outdoor charity collection bins.

http://michiganradio.org/post/appeals-court-bans-outdoor-charity-collection-bins-unconstitutional

Read the decision in Planet Aid v. City of St. Johns, MI. at:

http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/15a0063p-06.pdf

Scholastic free press: Censored drug article runs online [1^st Amend. Coalition, 4/6/15]: Backed by his superintendent, a school principal in Virginia censored a student newspaper article about “dabbing,” smoking a concentrated dose of marijuana’s active ingredients from a nail. 

http://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2015/04/scholastic-free-press-censored-drug-article-runs-online/

Read the SPLC article:

http://www.splc.org/article/2015/03/va-high-school-censors-story-about-marijuana-dabbing

Egregious errors in story of alleged rape at Virginia fraternity opens libel can of worms [1^st Amend. Coalition, 4/6/15]: Rolling Stone published a Columbia Graduate School of Journalism report of its wildly inaccurate story about a supposed gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity in 2012. The report showed that the reporter failed to get in touch with three friends of the alleged victim to get their stories which did not jibe with that of the victim.

http://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2015/04/egregious-errors-in-story-of-alleged-rape-at-virginia-fraternity-opens-libel-can-of-worms/

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:

Indiana, Arkansas retreat on religion bills may spark wider trend [Reuters, 4/6/15]: Oklahoma lawmakers have put the brakes on a religion bill similar to ones in Indiana and Arkansas that were overhauled last week after facing a storm of criticism for being seen as discriminatory against gays.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/06/usa-religion-states-idUSL2N0X31SF20150406