Posts for December 18, 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:
Chief Justice Roberts Overlooked Stock
Conflict in Case [Bloomberg View,
12/17/15]: Chief Justice John Roberts
overlooked a conflict of interest when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected two
appeals in an environmental-cleanup case earlier this year. Roberts took part
in the court’s Oct. 5 disposition of the case even though he or a close family
member owned stock in Texas Instruments Inc., one of the companies that sought
review.
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:
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:
Convention cliffhanger
looming for the GOP? [Riggs
Report, 12/17/15]: Donald Trump, in addition to confounding predictions and
polling, is also creating some heartburn for Republican Party insiders. The possibility of a standoff creates great drama, which is why
political reporters love to talk about it.
The New Attack on Hispanic Voting
Rights [NY Timies Sunday
Mag, 12/17/15]: After the Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights
Act, tactics to suppress minority voting are flourishing -- especially in
states where Hispanic voters are reshaping the electorate.
Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)
President signs “Every Student Succeeds Act” into
law, signaling new direction in accountability [NSBA Legal Clips,
12/14/15]: The
President said that the law holds everyone to high standards and
dedicates resources “to our most vulnerable children.” One key feature of
NCLB remains: Students will still take the federally required statewide
reading and math exams. But the new law encourages states to limit the time
students spend on testing and diminishes the high stakes for underperforming
schools. By turning more decision-making powers back to the states, the
law would end more than a decade of what critics have derided as
one-size-fits-all federal policies dictating accountability and improvement for
the nation’s 100,000 or so public schools.
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
District attorney’s office declines to bring criminal
prosecutions in extensive student sexting case [NSBA Legal Clips, 12/15/15]: the
District Attorney said the investigation into the scandal failed to show
that any adults were involved. None of the 351 images were posted to the
Internet, and there was no evidence of coercion or bullying, LeDoux said. Some 106 children were involved in some way in the exchanges of explicit
photos.
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:
Missouri district’s ban on Confederate flag displays
reveals opposing opinions among students [NSBA Legal Clips, 12/16/15]: Students at Seneca High
School are divided about whether displaying the Confederate flag is
appropriate. Some students on both sides of the issue have signed petitions about
the flag. The Superintendent said students were told they needed to stop
displaying Confederate flags on school property, effective Nov. 30, and that
anyone who disobeys could be disciplined.
New Jersey legislator introduces bill
to grant student journalists protection from censorship [SPLC, 12/17/15]: Student journalists in the Garden
State might soon have an extra level of protection from administrative
censorship.
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:
Alabama
lesbian mother gets support in fight before U.S. Supreme Court
[Birmingham News, 12/17/15]: At least seven groups or coalitions of adoption advocates,
constitutional and family law scholars and experts filed friends of the court
briefs Thursday to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a lesbian mother in
Alabama who is asking justices to review an Alabama Supreme Court order
refusing to recognize her adoption of her three children.
How One Might Have Answered Justice Scalia’s
Questions (About the Mismatch Theory) at Oral Argument in the Fisher Case [Justia, 12/18/15]:
Professor Amar and attorney Schaps discuss Justice Scalia’s provocative
comments during last week’s oral argument in Fisher v. University of Texas. They point out that viewed in
the most charitable light, Scalia’s comments are actually an attempt to
articulate an academic theory—known as mismatch theory—not simply bare racism.
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