Monday, January 25, 2016

Posts for January 25, 2016
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:

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:

Family's fight over vacation land goes to U.S. Supreme Court [Milw. Journ., 1/24/16]: Wisconsin is full of stories about cabin owners at odds with shoreland conservation and development rules. But only one has made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier this month, the justices agreed to hear the Murr family's claim that St. Croix County effectively took its property without compensation.

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:

Can Donald Trump's wife, Melania Trump, remain such a private figure if her husband wins the GOP presidential nomination - or the presidency [AP, 1/25/16]: First lady Melania Trump. If that prospect evokes no clear image, that's no accident. Donald Trump's wife has said little in the campaign about the type of first lady she'd like to be should her husband win the Republican nomination and the presidency. The distance, she's said, is intentional so she can focus on the couple's 9-year-old son, Barron.

In Nine Trips to Supreme Court, Ted Cruz Saw Mixed Results [Texas Trib, 1/24/16]: Before he was a U.S. senator or a candidate for president, Ted Cruz argued before the U.S. Supreme Court nine times, putting the Texas Republican in an exclusive club.

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


Ban on Mandatory Life Sentences for Juveniles Extends to Old Cases [CNS / SCOTUS blog, 1/25/16]: The Supreme Court ruled Monday that its decision against a mandatory life sentence without parole for juveniles can be applied retroactively.
The decision is in Montgomery v. Louisiana and can be found at:

Expecting Super Bowl's dark side, volunteers fill survival kits for sex trafficking victims [SJ Merc, 1/25/16]:  Of all the global problems Emily Moreno could have chosen to tackle, she zeroed in on the sex trafficking of young girls about her age. But really, what could a 16-year-old suburban high school sophomore do? 

The Secret Hints for Winning Parole [The Marshall Project, 1/25/16]: Brush your teeth, sit up straight, and prepare for disappointment.

The Bottoson Effect [Justia, 1/25/16]: Professor Margulies discusses the problem of states executing death row inmates under laws subsequently found to be unconstitutional, as has happened in Texas and in Florida, and likely in many other cases. Margulies laments that the United States continues to experiment with capital punishment when experience demonstrates the procedures for imposing this irreversible sentence are rife with problems.

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:

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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