Posts for September 22, 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.
CRF asks us to take survey [CRF, 9/21/15]: Over
the last 15 months, CRF provided classroom resources and professional learning
opportunities (both face-to-face and online) to support teachers in integrating
Common Core into social studies instruction and now they would like your help! Please
take their short survey that will give them an idea about where you are now
with Common Core and if CRF has helped. The survey only takes a few
minutes and everyone who takes it will be in a drawing for one of two $500
prizes or one of ten $100 gift cards. The survey can be found at:
CRF resources
can be found at: http://www.crf-usa.org/common-core/blog. Upcoming webinars can be found at: http://www.crf-usa.org/pd/
Besides its national
convention (in New Orleans this
November), another great reason to join NCSS
(National Council for the Social Studies: http://socialstudies.org) is their wonderful magazine, Social Education. This month’s edition has some great
law-related/Civics articles, including:
" Should High School Students Be Required to Pass a
Citizenship Test?"
"Deepening Student Understanding of the Debate over the
Constitution through a Description of a Grand Procession"
"Mandated Reporting and the Confrontation Clause: When are
Teachers like Police Officers?"
"Websites Teachers Should Have Access To and Follow}"
Check it out!
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:
Erwin
Chemerinsky Supreme Court Preview [UCI Law Talks, 9/21/15]: Dean Chemerinsky analyzes significant cases in the
upcoming 2015-16 Supreme Court term, including cases deciding affirmative
action, election law and union dues.
The Lonely Road Ahead for John Roberts [Bloomberg View,
9/21/15]: The U.S.
Supreme Court term that starts the first Monday in October will mark the 10th
anniversary of John Roberts’s introduction as chief justice. He can celebrate by
reflecting on the
assertion by Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz that Roberts should
never have been nominated.
Justice
Alito Reflects on his Tenth Anniversary on #SCOTUS [Josh
Blackman’s blog, 9/21/15]: During the Federalist Society’s Texas Chapters
Conference, Justice
Alito reflected on his decade on the Court. He spoke about the many cases
decided during the last term.
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:
This
Will Probably Be The Biggest Supreme Court Term For Reproductive Rights Since
Roe v. Wade [ThinkProgress, 9/22/15]: Less than a year from now, Roe v. Wade could be all-but-dead. Employers,
health providers, and pharmacists could gain sweeping new power to impose their
religious views on women who use birth control. And elected lawmakers could
even be stripped of their power to correct Supreme Court decisions that read
religious objectors’ rights too expansively.
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:
Bernie Sanders questions
drug price spike [Politico,
9/21/15]: One day before rival Hillary
Clinton is set to propose a plan to rein in high costs for specialty drugs,
Sanders in a letter to Turing Pharmaceuticals demanded an explanation for why
the price of a drug used to treat dangerous parasitical infections leapt from
$13.50 per tablet to $750 after the company acquired the drug from a
competitor.
Hillary Clinton previews
plan to expand Obamacare and lower health costs [LA Times, 9/21/15]: Democrats facing tough elections have been
running away from Obamacare in their campaigns almost since the law was passed,
but Hillary Rodham Clinton is taking a different approach. She is embracing
it.
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
Controversial Gravity Knife Law Challenged
in Federal Court [Village
Voice, 1/15/15]: A New York appeals court heard oral arguments on January 14 in a
challenge to a controversial knife law that has landed tens of thousands of
suspects in jail over the past ten years.
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/controversial-gravity-knife-law-challenged-in-federal-court-6724080
Today, the 2nd
Circuit ruled in this case, Knife Rights v. Vance:
U.S. justices unlikely to address death
penalty's constitutionality [Reuters, 9/21/15]: When the last
U.S. Supreme Court term ended in June with an unusual showdown over a decision
approving Oklahoma's lethal injection process, some court watchers saw it as a
sign the court might soon take up the bigger question of the constitutionality
of the death penalty itself. But more recent signals from the court suggest
that such a broad ruling is not likely any time soon, even though there are
three death-penalty cases already on the docket for the new term, which begins
Oct 5.
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:
District apologizes after barring high school
reporter from a press conference for asking too many questions [SPLC, 9/18/15]:
Following outcry after a Washington state
school district official refused to admit a high school reporter into a press
conference, the district apologized and admitted they made a mistake.
Reporting on Persecution: A Global
Challenge [Newseum,
9/22/15]: On Monday, Sept. 21, the Newseum Institute kicked off Freedom Week at
the Newseum with a panel discussion featuring journalists and human rights
advocates discussing the perils of reporting on threats to religious freedom
around the world.
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:
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