Posts for May 5, 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 (5th ed.) student 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:
The Junior Justice [The American Prospect, Spring
2015]: Elena Kagan is rewriting the role of a Supreme Court justice in American
democracy.
After agreeable term, Supreme Court is back
to being disagreeable [USA Today,
5/4/15]: After a 2013-14 term in which
two-thirds of the cases were decided unanimously, that percentage has dropped
to a more pedestrian 44%. For this time of year, when about half of the cases
have been decided, that's lower than usual — and more in line with where the
court usually winds up in June.
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:
Supreme Court Seeks Obama
Administration Comment on Marijuana Case [WSJ, 5/4/15]: Oklahoma and Nebraska call Colorado's
legalization of pot a 'cross-border nuisance.
The
American Presidency
[TOPIC 15]
Court skeptical on Barack Obama
immigration challenge [Politico, 5/4/15]: Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio contends his jail is
spending millions of dollars to house illegal immigrants Obama is refusing to
deport
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:
Carly Fiorina's Silicon Valley
story could boost or bust her presidential bid [CC Times / KQED / CalBuzz, 5/4/15]: Carly
Fiorina is as close as it gets to a Silicon Valley candidate for president. So
why did the former Hewlett-Packard CEO move 2,400 miles across the country to
leave her California story behind?
Carly Fiorina fails to register website, gets whacked [TIME, 5/4/15]: Fiorina’s campaign apparently
neglected to register the domain http://carlyfiorina.org/ --
but someone else did and that person is hammering the former Hewlett-Packard
chief on the number of layoffs she oversaw during her tenure at the company.
Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)
California Assembly
passes bill to ditch ‘Redskins’ mascots [SF Chron, 5/4/15]: A
handful of California high schools would need to ditch their “Redskins” mascots
under legislation that passed the state Assembly on Monday.
Greenhut: Bills would
hobble charters with new regs [San
Diego U-T, 5/4/15]: Legislators more concerned about job protections than
education?
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:
Muslims Condemn Violence at Muhammad 'Art Show' [CNS, 5/5/15]: Muslim
leaders swiftly condemned the attack on a Dallas art show of Muhammad cartoons
but also denounced the "hate speech" they say incited it.
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:
From the 11th
Circuit: "In
sum, while singing in the rain may result in a glorious feeling, singing in the
post office is not a constitutional right." The opinion in Watkins v. U.S. Postal Employee
(5/4/15) can be found at:
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:
Poll: Majority Wants Supreme Court to OK Same Sex Marriage Nationally [NBC News, 5/5/15]: Nearly three in five Americans want to see the Supreme Court
legalize gay marriage throughout the United States, according
to a new NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll.
Justice Alito Asks Whether Non-Romantic
Couples Should Have the Right to Marry: Absurd Question? [Justia, 5/5/15]: Professor Colb
discusses a question Justice Samuel Alito asked during oral argument last week
in the same-sex marriage cases—whether non-romantic couples should have the
right to marry.
International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
Compensation
for wartime wrongs? [Law News, 5/4/15]: Retired Justice John Paul Stevens, borrowing an idea from the belated
government effort to make up for holding loyal Japanese-Americans in prison
campus during World War II, on Monday proposed a similar approach to wrongs
committed by government officials in carrying out the “war on terrorism.”
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