Posts for October 1, 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:
Right On: John Roberts Is Playing
the Long Game
[Bloomberg, 10/1/15]: Aghast at the decisions of the last Supreme Court term,
conservatives caricatured John Roberts as a leftist; He most certainly is not.
A Chief
Justice Without a Friend [Linda Greenhouse in the NY Times, 10/1/15]: Lest anyone suppose that the beating
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.
is taking from Republican candidates might cause liberals to enfold him in a
comforting embrace, the current issue of The Nation puts that thought to rest.
Read the issue, “The Case Against the Roberts Court,”
at:
High Court Takes Up Bank's Appeal of Iran Judgment [CNS, 10/1/15]: The
Supreme Court agreed Thursday to look at a law that helps victims of a
terrorist attack collect a $1.75 billion judgment against Iran's central bank.
The case is Peterson v. Islamic Republic
of Iran.
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:
The Slave-State Origins of Modern
Gun Rights [The
Atlantic, 9/30/15]: The idea that citizens have an unfettered constitutional
right to carry weapons in public originates in the antebellum South, and its
culture of violence and honor.
Mr.
Clean Water Act' faces his biggest challenge [Greenwire, 9/30/15]: Now attorney Steve Samuels faces his
greatest challenge: defending the Obama administration's controversial Waters
of the U.S. rule, or WOTUS, which defines which wetlands, marshes, bogs, ponds
and streams qualify for Clean Water Act protections.
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:
CNBC sets GOP debate
threshold at 3 percent of national polls; cutoff could narrow field [AP, 9/30/15]: CNBC announced debate criteria
Wednesday that could narrow the crowded field of Republican presidential
hopefuls. According to the network, any candidate that does not score 1 percent
in at least one approved poll will be excluded from the Oct. 28 pair of
televised debates.
Ask Bernie Sanders About Criminal Justice, He’ll Talk
About Economics [The Marshall
Project, 10/1/15]: Sidestepping the issue
since his days as mayor of Burlington.
Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)
McCarthy makes plain what
Democrats have long suspected about the Benghazi committee [SF Chron / WSJ, 9/30/15]: Republican Rep.
Kevin McCarthy has yet to win the speaker's gavel, but he is already stepping
into a rhetorical minefield that shows the perils of the job.
Bid to Overturn California's Vaccination Law Fails [CNS, 10/1/15]:
Leaders of a grassroots campaign against California's new child vaccination
requirements said Wednesday it fell short of the signatures needed to qualify
the referendum for the 2016 general election.
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
'Nonsense' Murder Conviction Faces Review [CNS, 10/1/15]: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Thursday to
review a decision finding that a man spent 15 years in prison based on a
"nonsense" conviction. http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/10/01/nonsense-murder-conviction-faces-review.htm
Read the 7th
Circuit decision which was appealed in Owens v. Duncan:
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:
California Law Punishing Paparazzi for High-Speed
Celebrity Chases Is Upheld [THR
Esq., 9/30/15]: Appeals court rules that it doesn't impinge
free speech or press rights under First Amendment.
Read the decision in Raef
v. Superior Court at:
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:
Federal Judge Allows Lawsuit Over Student Trauma to
Advance [School Law Blog, 9/30/15]: The judge
allows a novel lawsuit against the Compton district that calls for help for
students who have faced violence and other trauma. The case is Peter P. v. Compton
Unified School District.
Read the judge’s opinion in
turning down Compton’s motion to dismiss the case:
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