Posts for August 27, 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.

Mathews: Why Is It So Hard to Enroll a Kid in Public School? [Zocalo, 8/27/15]: A wiseacre neighbor walked by the corner where I was standing and shouted, “Is this the line for the U2 tickets?” Nope. The line, which extended out a brick building for about a block, was just another group of California parents forced to prove, in this age of hyper-regulated childhood, that we actually live where we’re trying to send our kids to school. 

http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2015/08/27/why-is-it-so-hard-to-enroll-a-kid-in-public-school/inquiries/connecting-california/

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:

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:

 

Massive, colorful cast of candidates includes dozens of Californians [CC Times, 8/23/15]: Dissatisfied with the 23 presidential candidates you’ve been hearing about? Don’t worry — you’ve got at least 650 more to choose from, including a few dozen Californians. As of Friday, 673 people across the nation had filed statements of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.

http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_28689990/nearly-700-presidential-candidates-include-dozens-from-california

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

California lawmakers act to raise smoking age to 21, restrict e-cigarettes [Reuters, 8/27/15]:  The state Senate on Thursday approved six anti-tobacco bills, including measures that would raise the smoking age in California from 18 to 21 and bar electronic cigarettes from restaurants, movie theaters and other public places where smoking is banned. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/27/us-usa-california-ecigarettes-idUSKCN0QW2HQ20150827?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

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:

Top-free Rights for Women: A Showdown in Manhattan [Justia, 8/27/15]: Professor Grossman discusses the apparent conflict between the social norm that women’s breasts should be covered in public and the legal right of women (in most states) to be top-free in public.

https://verdict.justia.com/2015/08/27/top-free-rights-for-women-a-showdown-in-manhattan

Iowa court dismisses student’s suit claiming district violated his free speech rights when it disciplined him for posting “racially charged” tweet [NSBA Legal Clips, 8/27/15]: The tweet in question said, “I scored two goals for the white boys tonight  #WP.” His football coach, Aaron Shipley, viewed the message Smith posted on Smith’s Twitter account. Smith’s profile was a photograph depicting him and two MHS students dressed in white. The students made a gesture with their hands in the shape of the letter “W.” The photograph of Smith was taken on school grounds in May 2014. That day, MHS hosted a spirit day where all students were encouraged to wear white attire.

http://legalclips.nsba.org/2015/08/27/iowa-court-dismisses-students-suit-claiming-district-violated-his-free-speech-rights-when-it-disciplined-him-for-posting-racially-charged-tweet/

Federal district court rules Mississippi district violated terms of consent decree by continuing the practice of advancing and endorsing the Christian religion and coercing students to participate in religious activity [NSBA Legal Clips, 8/25/15]: Specifically, although the school district was under a court approved consent decree that required its compliance with a “Religion in Public Schools Policy,” which outlines standards for ensuring that its schools conformed with the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, the court found that the district held a honors convocation at which a Christian minister offered Christian prayer and the district allowed the distribution of Bibles in school.

http://legalclips.nsba.org/2015/08/25/federal-district-court-rules-mississippi-district-violated-terms-of-consent-decree-by-continuing-the-practice-of-advancing-and-endorsing-the-christian-religion-and-coercing-students-to-participate-in/

Read the decision in M.B. v. Rankin County School Dist. at:

http://americanhumanist.org/system/storage/2/41/2/5654/RankinMotionforContemptORDER7-10-15.pdf

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:

Study says African-American students in 13 southern states are disciplined at higher rates than white students [NSBA Legal Clips, 8/27/15]: The 13 states named in the study are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

http://legalclips.nsba.org/2015/08/27/study-says-african-american-students-in-13-southern-states-are-disciplined-at-higher-rates-than-white-students/