Posts for January 22,
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:
Kolender v. Lawson
video [YouTube, 9/21/5]: Edward
Lawson posts this engaging video describing his case, Kolender v. Lawson, which can be found at PROBLEM 2.4, in TOPIC
TWO of the Constitutional Law
student text. This is an excellent resource to initiate a Con Law course. Thanks to Dave Keller, Con Law teacher at Piedmont
(CA.) High School for the contribution.
Robots Could Make the Supreme Court More Transparent [The Atlantic, 1/20/16]: Computer models can determine
the authorship of unsigned legal decisions with startling accuracy.
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:
Buckley v. Valeo: 40th Anniversary — Cato &
Center for Competitive Politics to Host Event [Concurring Opinions, 1/22/16]: The event is titled “The Past and Future of Buckley v. Valeo“ and is being
presented by the Cato Institute and the Center for Competitive Politics. Could be interesting.
EPA Takes Over
Testing of Flint Water for Lead [CNS, 1/22/16]: Cracking the whip on the Flint water crisis, the Environmental
Protection Agency accepted the resignation of an area official Thursday and
announced its takeover of future lead testing, saying the slow response from
city and state leaders put residents in "imminent" danger.
The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
An Ideological Scramble on
Immigration at the Supreme Court [Jeffrey Toobin in The New Yorker, 1/19/16]: Just when you think you know what the liberals and
conservatives on the Supreme Court stand for, along comes a case like United
States v. Texas—the challenge to President Barack Obama’s executive orders
allowing more than four million undocumented immigrants to remain in the United
States.
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:
Nate Silver 'much less skeptical' that Trump can win [Politico,
1/21/16]: Nate Silver's persistent doubts regarding Donald Trump's chances of
winning the Republican nomination are falling, if his recent FiveThirtyEight
analysis is any indication.
National Review aims to take down Trump [Politico,
1/21/16]: For months, Republican leaders have worried about how to stop 2016
frontrunner Donald Trump. Now, one of the conservative movement’s most influential
publications is taking matters into its own hands.
Some Democrats Fear Clinton's Message Is Failing [AP,
1/21/16]: Hillary Clinton has questioned Bernie Sanders' electability. She's
criticized his plans for health care, foreign policy and Wall Street. And she's
tagged him with flip-flopping on gun control. None of it appears to be
sticking, say some Democrats who have raised concerns that a months-long
primary campaign could create lasting damage for their party.
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
Ski resort seeks prosecution of snowboarder who they say
triggered avalanche [LA Times, 1/21/16]: California ski resort wants
criminal charges against a snowboarder who allegedly triggered an avalanche
Friday in a closed area at Donner Summit.
Borenstein: Mt. Diablo school trustees plan to defend
Martin's behavior [CC Times, 1/21/16]: Re-victimizing child-abuse
victims. We've seen this disgusting legal ploy before. But Mt. Diablo school
trustees and their attorneys have taken it to a new level.
Sexual assaults an issue at both college and K-12 level say
U.S Dep’t of ED [NSBA Legal Clips,
1/19/16]: The problem of sexual violence
in K-12 schools is similar in many ways to the problem on college campuses, but
there are also important differences, including the inexperience of young
children and the power dynamics between adults and students, reports The
Washington Post.
Assistant principal
at Virginia high school threatens to suspend student for recording conversation
with the administrator [NSBA Legal Clips, 1/19/16]: According to Stone, he was recording the
conversation in order to have proof of what was said. Hall said, “If you
record this conversation, or if I find it online, I will give you five days out
of school suspension.” What’s the law in your state?
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:
Transparency lacking
in campaign spending 2016 [FAC, 1/21/16]: Six years after the U.S. Supreme
Court’s Citizens United decision, lack of transparency in campaign finance
muddles the election process.
Judges press Utah about
polygamy ban in 'Sister Wives' case [AP, 1/21/16]: An
effort to decriminalize polygamy by the family from the TV show 'Sister Wives'
reached its highest level of the legal system so far Thursday as federal
appeals judges questioned a lawyer for Utah about whether the state needs to
ban plural marriages.
Religious diversity, school calendars and the quest
for fairness [Newseum, 1/21/16]:
Religious monopolies like the one enjoyed
for so long by Protestants in public schools are antithetical to religious
freedom. We can disagree on how best to move from monopoly to diversity, but we
should work together toward the shared goal of fairness and equity for all.
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 district
court in California rules that Title IX is applicable to claims based on sexual
orientation discrimination [NSBA Legal Clips, 1/20/16]: The court in California has ruled that Title
IX encompasses claims based upon sexual orientation as either gender
stereotyping discrimination or sex discrimination. The district court
stated that “the line between discrimination based on gender stereotyping
and discrimination based on sexual orientation is blurry, at best.”
The case is Videckis and White v. Pepperdine University and can be
found:
Parents are
considering suit against Pennsylvania middle school over anti-bullying program
[NSBA Legal Clips, 1/21/16]: The source of the
parents’ anger was an exercise conducted at a recent student workshop during
which students were asked questions among their peers and then “grouped” based
on their answers.
International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
UN report: 'shocking' crimes committed by all sides in
South Sudan conflict [Jurist,
1/21/16]: The report said that
extra-judicial killings, disappearances, gang-rapes, sexual slavery, forced
abortions, and child recruitment have occurred within the area.
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