Posts for June 15, 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:
Supreme Court races the clock on gay marriage, Obamacare and more [USA Today, 6/14/15]: The future of same-sex marriage and President Obama's health care law hang in
the balance as the Supreme Court's 2014 term draws rapidly to a close this
month. But those aren't the only big issues on the justices' plate.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in
Conversation with California Associate Justice Goodwin Liu [Constitution Center, 6/14/15]: The
ACS posted the video of yesterday's conversation online at YouTube,
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 voice of opposition past, Justice Kennedy may save
Obamacare now [Reuters, 6/14/15]:
Justice Anthony Kennedy was furious when a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court
upheld President Barack Obama’s healthcare law. As he read the dissenting
opinion from the bench three years ago, his anger was palpable. The majority
regards its opinion “as judicial modesty," he declared. "It is not.
It amounts instead to a vast judicial over-reaching.” That was Kennedy on June
28, 2012.
The Supreme Court's momentous abortion decision [MSNBC, 6/15/15]: The Supreme
Court has declined to hear the case of a North Carolina abortion law, meaning
that abortion patients in that state won’t be forced to view an ultrasound
beforehand and doctors won’t be required to describe it to them.
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 distances herself
from Obama on trade [AP,
6/14/15]: Hillary Rodham Clinton is distancing herself from President Barack
Obama over a contentious trade proposal, encouraging the president to address
concerns raised by congressional Democrats and negotiate a better deal with 11
Pacific Rim nations.
Bush still with much to
prove in leaderless GOP 2016 race [AP,
6/14/15]: When Jeb Bush finally says on Monday that he's running for president,
he'll begin the campaign with much to prove.
Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)
Insider Analysis of ESEA Say This Congress May
Succeed in Reauthorization [EdLawProfs Blog, 6/15/15]: The Brown Center on Education Policy at
Brookings hosted a panel of experts last week to discuss the potential for
reauthorization. They were generally optimistic.
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
The Dangerous Notion of a Nationwide Crime Wave [Justia, 6/15/15]: Professor Margulies
argues against the idea of a nationwide crime and warns of its dangers.
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:
Canadian
Freedom of Religion in Schools Case [Jurist, 6/15/15]: In Loyola High School v. Atty. Gen. of Quebec, the Supreme Court of
Canada addressed the issue of religious freedom in the context of teaching
religion and ethics in a private Catholic school. In 2008 Quebec introduced an
Ethics and Religious Culture program, which it made mandatory in public
schools.
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:
Why privacy matters even if you don’t care about it (or, privacy
as a collective good) [Concurring Opinions, 6/14/15]: “How much do people care about privacy?” This is a key,
enduring, question in ongoing debates about technological surveillance. As survey
after survey regarding changing privacy attitudes is presented as proof that privacy is dead,
one might wonder why we should bother protecting privacy at all.
PERB Upholds Termination of Teacher Despite the
Teacher's Proof of a Nexus Between His Legally Protected Activities and His
Termination [Lozano Smith website,
6/9/15]: The Public Employment
Relations Board (PERB) recently upheld the termination of a teacher with a
history of misconduct despite the fact that the teacher established a causal
nexus between his legally protected activities and his termination.
The case is
Jurupa
Unified School District (2015) PERB Decision No. 2420 at:
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