Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Posts for July 21, 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.

Torlakson Says LCFF Money Can Go To Teacher Raises [CPR, 7/20/15]: Under California’s new local control funding formula, schools get additional money for low-income, non-English speaking and foster youth. In a letter State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has told districts they can spend that money for across-the-board teacher raises if they can link the increases to better student services. 

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:

Americans favor Supreme Court term limits -- Reuters/Ipsos poll [Reuters, 7/20/15]: Most Americans would support imposing a term limit on the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices, who now serve for life, a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll has found in the aftermath of major rulings by the court on Obamacare and gay marriage.

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:

Calbuzz: Trump Has Done to the GOP What Wilson Did in CA [CalBuzz, 7/19/15]: Even before he shot himself in the mouth by denigrating Sen. John McCain, the obnoxious mogul Donald Trump had done for the national Republican Party in 2015 what former Gov. Pete Wilson did for the California Republican Party in 1994: poisoned it among Latino voters for decades to come.

Trump to GOP Candidates: I Don’t ‘Need to Be Lectured’ by a Bunch of Failures [NY Mag, 7/19/15]:  In news that will surprise no one, the New York Times reported on Sunday that Donald Trump has no team "plotting his long-term message," and was speaking entirely off the cuff when he called Senator John McCain's status as a war hero into question on Saturday.

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

 

U.S. authorities end criminal case against Barry Bonds [Reuters, 7/21/15]: The U.S. Department of Justice will not appeal a court ruling that cleared baseball player Barry Bonds of obstruction of justice in a probe over steroids, effectively ending the long criminal prosecution of the sport's career home run leader.

 

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:

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:

 

The mystery of Fisher II review [SCOTUS blog / Concurring Opinions, 7/21/15]: The volatile constitutional issue of race as a factor in selecting the entering classes at public universities and colleges returns to the Supreme Court next Term, but it is far from clear at this point just why the Justices are stepping back into that enduring controversy, and where it will end up. 

http://www.scotusblog.com/2015/07/the-mystery-of-fisher-ii-review/

http://concurringopinions.com/archives/2015/07/the-certiorari-grant-in-fisher.html


Based on Sex: The EEOC Rules That Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Sex Discrimination [Justia, 7/21/15]: Professor Grossman comments on a recent ruling by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that sexual orientation discrimination constitutes sex discrimination for the purposes of Title VII.

https://verdict.justia.com/2015/07/21/based-on-sex-the-eeoc-rules-that-sexual-orientation-discrimination-is-sex-discrimination


Abercrombie & Fitch settles head scarf case after Supreme Court ruling [Reuters / Tulsa World, 7/21/15]: Abercrombie & Fitch Stores Inc will pay about $25,000 to an Oklahoma woman who was turned down for a job because she wore a Muslim head scarf, after the U.S. Supreme Court said the retailer may have violated federal civil rights law.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/21/employment-abercrombie-idUSL1N1011FL20150721

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/courts/abercrombie-fitch-drops-appeal-in-tulsa-muslim-woman-s-employment/article_fe2ab073-5399-5f4e-8d2f-cf9b74141c15.html


Is Attack on Tenure Really Just a Push for Teacher Evaluation Based on Student Test Scores? New Calif. Lawsuit Seeks to Compel Use of Tests in Teacher Evaluation [EdLaw Profs Blog, 7/20/15]: Derek Black writes, “In The Constitutional Challenge to Tenure, I spend an extended amount of time evaluating the merits of teacher evaluation systems that rely on students' standardized test scores work.”
Read the new complaint:

http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25920011&item=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.edweek.org%2Fv1%2Fblog%2F62%2F%3Fuuid%3D47620


International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]


US resumes diplomatic relations with Cuba [Jurist, 7/21/15]: The re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba was first announced by President Obama on July 1st, and was slated to become fully effective by July 20th. 

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