Posts for December 31, 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.

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:

Constitution Check: Who is right about Puerto Rico's self-governing status? [Constitution Daily, 12/31/15]: Lyle Denniston, the National Constitution Center’s constitutional literacy adviser, looks at the Justice Department’s stance on Puerto Rico’s sovereignty, which will get tested twice in the Supreme Court this year.

http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2015/12/constitution-check-who-is-right-about-puerto-ricos-self-governing-status/

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:

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

Law Enforcement, Advocates Blame Politics for Increase in Hate Crimes [KQED, 12/30/15]: Elkarra says recent incidents in Tracy, Richmond, Santa Clara and Castro Valley are part an alarming trend; that includes more than 50 suspected hate crimes against Muslims across the country in just the last month.

http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/30/hate-crimes-against-muslims-increase-because-politics

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:

What a strange year it’s been for First Amendment freedoms [Newseum, 12/31/15]: 2015 was but seven days old when terrorists, claiming to be angry over the publishing of satirical drawings of the Muslim prophet Mohammed, burst into the offices of the French weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people.

http://www.newseuminstitute.org/2015/12/31/what-a-strange-year-its-been-for-first-amendment-freedoms/

Constitution Check: Does the First Amendment protect offensive trademarks? [Constitution Daily, 12/31/15]: Lyle Denniston, the National Constitution Center’s constitutional literacy adviser, explains how a First Amendment case about “offensive” trademarks seems headed to the Supreme Court.

http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2015/12/constitution-check-does-the-first-amendment-protect-offensive-trademarks/

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: