Posts for December 16, 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.

Tale of two cities – to close or not to close schools? [EdSource, 12/15/15]: What would you do if you were a superintendent of a school district with hundreds of thousands of children – actually any number of children – and received a bomb threat that you weren’t 100 percent sure was a hoax? And the threat came just 10 days after the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11?

http://edsource.org/2015/tale-of-two-cities-to-close-or-not-to-close-schools/92140

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:

Learning About Our Courts [CRF, 12/15/15]: On their new “Educating About the Judiciary” page, CRF presents FREE lesson plans to give you the basics of the U.S. court system and historical examples of courts at work:

http://www.crf-usa.org/judiciary/educating-about-the-judiciary.html

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:

Court throws out ruling that invalidated Washington gun limits [Reuters, 12/15/15]: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled on a technicality, meaning it did not decide the merits of whether the regulations in Washington violate the 2^nd Amendment. The lawsuit will now be re-assigned to another judge.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-guncontrol-idUSKBN0TY26P20151215

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

The Unbearable Lightness of America’s War Against the Islamic State [Foreign Policy, 12/11/15]: If Washington were really serious about defeating terrorism, it would have an entirely different playbook.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/12/11/the-unbearable-lightness-of-americas-war-against-the-islamic-state-obama-san-bernardino-us/

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:

How Donald Trump took the Republican Party by storm [CNN, 12/15/15]: Donald Trump's political hurricane is no accident. It's been brewing in the Republican Party for decades.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/14/politics/donald-trump-republican-party-history/index.html

The CNN debate was all about Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz [Wash Post, 12/15/15]: We've reached the point in the cycle of Republican presidential debates in which there's not much new anymore.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/12/15/the-cnn-debate-was-all-about-marco-rubio-and-ted-cruz/

GOP Wannabes Bash Bush Policy That Birthed ISIS [CalBuzz, 12/15/15]: Amid the 2 1/2 hours of bombast, bravado and bully boy bluster that defined what was mercifully the last Republican presidential debate of 2015 last night, one very significant, substantive fault line emerged over national security issues: nearly half the wannabes broke with the neo-con policy of regime change that got the U.S. into our current mess. 

http://www.calbuzz.com/2015/12/gop-wannabes-bash-bush-policy-that-birthed-isis/

Another GOP presidential debate, another battle with facts [McClatchy DC, 12/15/15]: The Republican presidential candidates negotiated a minefield of national security and foreign policy concerns and dilemmas in their latest debate Tuesday night. But it was rocky terrain for many as they slid, slipped and suffered stubbed toes in their encounters with the facts.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article49977715.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

Bay Area athlete, 15, charged with felony over broken nose [SF Chron, 12/15/15]: A 15-year-old Lafayette boy is facing felony assault and battery charges for allegedly striking an opponent and breaking his nose during a high school water polo game, an almost unprecedented case of bringing sports violence into the courts. This story could provoke a great class discussion!

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bay-Area-athlete-15-charged-with-felony-over-6700824.php

Arrest Warrant Issued for 'Affluenza' Killer [CNS, 12/15/15]: Texas authorities have issued an arrest warrant for teenage "affluenza" killer Ethan Couch for failing to report to his juvenile probation officer, his attorneys said.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/12/16/arrest-warrant-issued-for-affluenza-killer.htm

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:

ISIS Gives Us No Choice but to Consider Limits on Speech [Slate, 12/15/15]: Never before in our history have enemies outside the United States been able to propagate genuinely dangerous ideas on American territory in such an effective way—and by this I mean ideas that lead directly to terrorist attacks that kill people. The novelty of this threat calls for new thinking about limits on freedom of speech.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/view_from_chicago/2015/12/isis_s_online_radicalization_efforts_present_an_unprecedented_danger.html

Did A School Skirt A Federal Injunction By Changing Its Live Nativity Scene To A Static One? [Ed:awProfs blog, 12/16/15]: Federal courts commonly find that live nativity scenes on school grounds violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause…. 

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/education_law/2015/12/did-a-school-district-skirt-a-federal-injunction-by-changing-its-live-nativity-scene-to-a-static-one.html

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:

Is the Texas Ten Percent Plan “Race Neutral”? [Justia, 12/16/15]: In light of the oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, Professor Dorf considers whether the school’s Ten Percent Plan is “race neutral.” Dorf distinguishes race consciousness from racial classifications, and he points out that Justice Kennedy—the Court’s usual swing vote on such issues—has historically found that distinction to be significant.

https://verdict.justia.com/2015/12/16/is-the-texas-ten-percent-plan-race-neutral

 

Walters: Sparks fly over California teacher lawsuit [Sac Bee, 12/15/15]: It was supposed to be an “informational hearing” on teacher job-protection issues raised in a highly controversial lawsuit.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article49939755.html

 

International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]

This simple negotiation tactic brought 195 countries to consensus [Quartz, 12/13/15]: Negotiations are difficult by nature. Managing negotiations between 195 countries in order to arrive at a legally binding agreement, on the other hand, is nearly impossible. This was the problem that United Nations officials faced over two weeks at this month’s climate-change summit in Paris. To solve it, they brought in a unique management strategy. It is called an “Indaba.”

http://qz.com/572623/this-simple-negotiation-tactic-brought-195-countries-to-consensus-in-the-paris-climate-talks/