Posts for February
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:
Sandoval to be vetted for
US Supreme Court, but Republicans stand firm [Las Vegas Review, 2/24/16]: Gov. Brian Sandoval has agreed to be vetted by the
White House to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of
Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, his office confirmed Wednesday.
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:
Scalia Death Upends Case Involving Texas Abortion Safety
Rules [Bloomberg View, 2/25/16]: There’s
nothing fancy about the Whole Woman’s Health abortion clinic on the south side
of San Antonio. A packed 28-seat waiting area leads to a suite of small rooms
where a doctor performs procedures that take as little as five minutes.
Staffers serve tea and snacks to women on recliners in a darkened recovery room.
New court ruling
allows Louisiana to begin enforcing controversial abortion law some say will
cripple clinics [Baton Rouge Advocate, 2/24/16]: A federal appellate court gave Louisiana the go-ahead Wednesday to
enforce a 2014 state law requiring abortion doctors to have admitting
privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinics, a requirement clinic
advocates say would force the closure of all but one of the state’s facilities.
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:
The Race for Super
Tuesday Success Begins [CNS, 2/24/16]: As
they hurdle headlong toward Super Tuesday, candidates for the Republican
presidential nomination have largely defined themselves in the electorate's
collective mind and are waging what amounts to a national "get out the
vote" campaign.
The Kasich Moderation
Burlesque [Justia, 2/25/16]: Professor Buchanan
continues his series of columns evaluating presidential candidates’ claims of
being moderate by looking at Ohio governor John Kasich. Buchanan cautions that
although as governor Kasich accepted a Medicaid expansion for Ohio and
acknowledges climate change, his actions and words with respect to issues such
as abortion, the Affordable Care Act, and the federal budget—among
others—reflect extreme conservative views, not moderate ones.
Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)
Constitution Check: Could
the Supreme Court end Senate gridlock on the vacant seat? [Constitution Daily,
2/24/16]: Lyle Denniston, the National
Constitution Center’s constitutional literacy adviser, looks at how Supreme
Court nominee gridlock could lead to a very unlikely, but not unprecedented,
option for the Chief Justice.
Past critics embrace Schumer, McConnell in SCOTUS
fight [Politico, 2/24/16]: With the
backing of their respective bases, both have a stronger hand in a fight that
will shape the top court in the land
Democrats Should Hold Hearings for Obama's Supreme
Court Nominee [Slate, 2/24/16]: It
doesn't matter that Republicans won't go.
Female lobbying firm thrives in male-dominated Capitol [CalMatters,
2/23/16]: Women have become more prominent in Sacramento’s political scene than
they were a generation ago. Two of the last three Assembly speakers are women;
the Senate minority leader is a woman for the first time in history; and many
women are among the lobbyists who crowd Capitol hallways.
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
ACLU plans challenge to
ruling finding no First Amendment right to film police [Phil. Inquirer / Volokh
Conspiracy / AP, 2/24/16]: Civil rights
lawyers said Wednesday that they intend to appeal a federal court ruling in
Philadelphia that citizens do not necessarily have a right protected by the
First Amendment to record police activity.
Meet Marc Zwillinger: Apple's secret weapon in its
battle against the FBI [The Guardian,
2/24/16]: Marc Zwillinger used to be a prosecutor for the DoJ -- but now he is
a go-to tech lawyer for Silicon Valley companies fighting against government
surveillance.
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:
Court Throws Out
Plaintiffs' Attempt to Block Protections for LGBTQ Youth [EdLawProfs blog,
2/25/16]: In the on-going struggle to ensure equal opportunity for LGBTQ youth,
opponents have fought back. In Fairfax, Virginia--one of the nation's
more progressive districts--the school district had adopted policies to protect
gay and
transgender students from discrimination and harassment.
Pending release of 10 million California students' record
potential catastrophe, IT specialists say [SJ Merc, 3/24/16]: With a
recent court ruling ordering the release of 10 million California student
records to attorneys suing the state, parents throughout California are anxious
about their children's private information falling into the wrong hands.
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