Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Posts for July 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:

Robert H. Jackson Lecture with Laurence Tribe [YouTube, 7/13/15]: Posted by the Chautauqua Institution.

Justice Scalia: Why he's a bad influence [Erwin Chemerinsky in the LA Times, 7/13/15]: This is an Op-Ed whose title says it all. “Justice Antonin Scalia is setting a terrible example for young lawyers. Ignore, for now, his jurisprudence, his famously strict originalism; it's his tone that's the problem.

Clarence Thomas's Unusual Evolution [The Atlantic, 7/14/15]:  The 'silent justice' has always marched to his own drum, and in the past year that drumbeat has become more distinct and strange.

Annual Supreme Court Term in Review [Federalist Society / UCI School of Law, 7/13/15]: Posts of various roundtable discussions of the term are posted on YouTube and collected here.

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:

Raisins, Regulations, and Politics in the Supreme Court [Justia, 7/15/15]: Professor Dorf discusses a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that provides a window into how the Roberts Court understands its role with respect to economic regulation.

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

‘Justice and Redemption Go Hand in Hand.’ [The Marshall Project / Jurist, 7/15/15]: A closer look at the president’s speech on criminal justice reform.

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:

Donald Trump leads GOP field in latest poll [Politico, 7/14/15]: Donald Trump continues to resonate with likely Republican primary voters, coming out on top in the latest Suffolk University/USA Today poll, out Tuesday. Among voters identifying as Republican, or independents who plan to vote in their states’ Republican primaries or caucuses, the real-estate mogul picked up 17 percent.

Groups backed by secret donors take the lead in shaping 2016 elections [Wash Post, 7/14/15]:  These tax-exempt groups — which can keep their donors secret even as they sponsor hard-hitting ads — are being increasingly embraced by campaign operatives looking for new ways to influence the political environment. 

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)


House GOP Moves on Sanctuary Issue After California Tragedy [AP, 7/14/15]: A GOP-controlled House panel has voted to block so-called sanctuary cities from receiving certain federal grants. The Appropriations Committee also wants to prevent the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency from releasing from detention people with criminal records who are in the country illegally before deporting them to their home country. 

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

 

Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to hear “true threats” case [Concurring Opinions, 7/15/15]: An interesting result of the Elonis decision.

 

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:

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

 

Tariq Ba Odah and the Choices We Make [Justia, 7/14/15]: Margulies describes the abysmal conditions under which Tariq Ba Odah is suffering at Guantanamo, despite being cleared by every national security agency.

Sanctuary law unlikely to change despite clamor over pier slaying [SF Chron, 7/14/15]:  San Francisco officials are showing little desire to make significant changes to the city’s sanctuary laws, despite national outrage over the killing of Kathryn Steinle, allegedly by a man who had been deported five times, and calls by politicians that the city change its policies.

Navajo Fight School District Over Jurisdiction [CNS, 7/15/15]: The Navajo Nation has no authority over employment policy in a state school district partly on tribal land, a New Mexico school district claims in court.

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