Posts for July 17, 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 (5^th ed.) student textbook.

Group sues 13 school districts for not using test scores in teacher evaluations [EdSource, 7/16/15]:  An education advocacy group sued 13 California school districts Thursday, claiming that they have ignored a state law requiring teachers’ performance evaluations to include student standardized test scores. 

http://edsource.org/2015/students-matter-sues-districts-over-teacher-evaluations/83103

Half of new teachers quit profession in 5 years? Not true, new study says [EdSource, 7/16/15]:  A recent federal study found that a much smaller percentage of beginning teachers leave the field in their first five years on the job than the widely quoted figure of 50 percent. It’s 17 percent, according to the new research.

http://edsource.org/2015/half-of-new-teachers-quit-profession-in-5-years-not-true-new-study-says/83054

I. Introduction to Law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court [See TOPICS 1-10 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

State Supreme Justices in the SCOTUS Pipeline [DRI, 7/17/15]: Last Friday, conservative columnist George Will recommended that, the next time a Republican holds the presidency, his or her first Supreme Court nominee should be Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett. This is getting to be a trend.

http://community.dri.org/blogs/steven-klepper/2015/07/17/state-supreme-justices-in-the-scotus-pipeline

Some Brief Thoughts About How Much Conservatives Lost in the Recently Concluded Supreme Court Term [Justia, 7/17/15]: One thoughtful explanation of the success enjoyed by the bloc of “liberal” Justices (often combined with Justice Kennedy) this past Term is, as NPR’s Nina Totenberg wrote, “that conservative activists just pushed their agenda too far.”

https://verdict.justia.com/2015/07/17/some-brief-thoughts-about-how-much-conservatives-lost-in-the-recently-concluded-supreme-court-term

II. Defining the Political System: Federalism and Checks and Balances [See TOPICS 11-15 in the 5^th 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 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Small donor myth debunked [Politico, 7/16/15]:  The heavily touted grassroots fundraising engines were largely spin, a POLITICO analysis shows. 

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/small-donor-myth-upended-120275.html

Is Donald Trump the New Ross Perot? Or the Next Pat Buchanan? [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 7/16/15]: We all know what Donald Trump is saying and the issues he’s emphasizing. Many have noted the strong reactions of the media, pundits, and his business associates, some of whom have cut ties. Now the most recent surveys show Trump in the double digits among Republicans nationally. Two new polls have even found Trump ahead of Jeb Bush, the nominal frontrunner.

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/is-donald-trump-the-new-ross-perot-or-the-next-pat-buchanan/

Bush comes to San Francisco to try to prove his tech cred [SF Chron, 7/16/15]:  Hours after a judge proposed fining ride-service giant Uber $7.3 million for failing to meet state regulations, GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush pulled up at a San Francisco campaign stop Thursday in an Uber car and lavished praise on the company as an example of firms that are “disrupting the old order.” 

http://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Bush-comes-to-San-Francisco-to-try-to-prove-his-6389497.php?t=895c26bf62972bc8cd&cmpid=twitter-premium

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

Senate passes bill to revamp No Child Left Behind [Jurist / EdLawProfs Blog, 7/17/15]: The bill comes as part of an effort to overhaul the old law and give more flexibility to states in setting their own standards for student and school performance. The original law has come under severe criticism for being too reliant on standardized testing.

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2015/07/senate-passes-bill-to-revamp-no-child-left-behind-act.php

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/education_law/2015/07/senate-passes-bill-to-reauthorize-the-elementary-and-secondary-education-act-and-roll-back-the-polic.html

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/education_law/2015/07/civil-rights-groups-urge-a-no-vote-on-todays-final-senate-bill-to-reauthorize-esea.html

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/education_law/2015/07/senate-votes-down-protections-for-lgbtq-youth-as-an-esea-amendment.html

IV. Criminal Law and Procedure (4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th amendments) [See TOPICS 21-28 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit

 

V. 1^st Amendment (Speech, Religion, Press and Assembly) [See TOPICS 29-33 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

VI. 14^th Amendment, Discrimination, Privacy, Working, Citizenship & Immigration [See TOPICS 34-41 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

 

Jeb Bush Says Laws on the Books Already Ensure Equal Pay [TIME, 7/16/15]: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush indicated Thursday that he thinks existing laws sufficient to ensure men and women are paid equally for the same work, but that he would back legislation in the states to prevent workplace and housing discrimination against LGBT Americans.

http://time.com/3961603/jeb-bush-equal-pay-lgbt-discrimination/