Friday, July 10, 2015

Posts for July 10, 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 2014 Term Review [C-SPAN, 7/8/15]: The American Constitution Society hosted a review of the major cases and rulings from the 2014-15 Supreme Court term.

Judicial politics: Those 'activist' judges [The Economist, 7/9/15]: The justices’ turn to the left is more likely an anomaly than an enduring trend, with the fate of affirmative action and public-sector unions looking shaky when the justices take up challenges to both in the next term.

The Illusion of a Liberal Supreme Court [Linda Greenhouse in the NY Times, 7/9/15]: For one, brief shining moment — that is to say, last week — there was a liberal Roberts court.

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:

Louisiana Supreme Court justices denounce same-sex marriage ruling, calling it an 'insult,' 'utter travesty' with 'horrific impact' [Baton Rouge Impact, 7/8/15]: The Louisiana Supreme Court on Tuesday passed on issuing a full opinion in a same-sex couple’s case seeking marriage and adoption rights, noting the matter has already been settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. But several justices still took an opportunity to denounce the high court’s recent ruling.

What Does Marriage Equality Have to Do with Dred Scott? [New Yorker, 7/8/15]: They can do same thing that Abraham Lincoln did about the Dred Scott decision of 1857,” Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, said, speaking of what conservatives might do about Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality. “He simply ignored the ruling and said, ‘That’s not correct.’ ”

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

The Next Big Case Challenging Obama's Executive Power [TPM CafĂ©, 7/8/15]: The collision between the Obama Administration and the courts continues, even though the Supreme Court in King v. Burwell rejected the attempt to gut Obamacare. Next up: the lawsuit to invalidate the president’s executive action on immigration.

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:

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)


U.S. Senate takes on overhaul of NCLB [NSBA Legal Clips, 7/8/15]: CNS reports that The U.S. Senate began debating a bill on Tuesday that would replace portions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and give states more power to evaluate their school systems.

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

 

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:

Students disciplined for tweets celebrating Hitler’s birthday file free speech suit against California district [NSBA Legal Clips, 7/9/15]: The Acorn reports that Scotland Yannello and Jared Pollard, students at Oak Park High School (OPHS), are suing Oak Park Unified School District (OPUSD), OPHS, and a number of OPHS and OPUSD officials alleging that the defendants violated their constitutionally protected free speech rights by disciplining them for off-campus tweets celebrating Hitler's birthday.

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:

Ninth Circuit rules that student was not eligible for special education services under IDEA despite suffering from autism [NSBA Legal Clips, 7/7/15]: In an unpublished memorandum opinion, a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit three-judge panel ruled that a student suffering from autism was not eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The ruling in D.A. and J.A. v. Meridian Joint School District can be found at:

http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2015/07/06/14-35081.pdf

 

May It Displease the Court: Race and Justice Sotomayor [ProPublica, 7/8/15]: A book on Justice Sotomayor reveals the bruising backstory to the Texas affirmative action case set to be heard again this fall.

http://www.propublica.org/article/may-it-displease-the-court-race-and-justice-sotomayor

 

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


U.S. court: citizenship law's gender differences unconstitutional [Reuters, 7/8/15]: A U.S. law that treats mothers and fathers differently in determining whether their foreign-born children may claim U.S. citizenship is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday, four years after the U.S. Supreme Court split 4-4 on the issue.


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