Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Posts for March 8, 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:

Here are judges the White House is considering for the Supreme Court [Wash Post / CNN, 3/7/16]: The White House is considering nearly a half-dozen relatively new federal judges for President Obama’s nomination to the Supreme Court, focusing on jurists with scant dis­cern­ible ideology and limited judicial records as part of a strategy to surmount fierce Republican opposition.

Application to Be a Supreme Court Justice [The New Yorker, 3/7/16]: Humor is a good thing.

Potential nominee: Judge Jane Kelly, former public defender [SCOTUS blog, 3/8/16]: More on the Iowa judge.

Potential Supreme Court nominee Watford cited as a moderate [AP, 3/6/16]: If Paul Watford were promoted to the U.S. Supreme Court, he'd become the second African-American justice on the current court and its only member without an Ivy League diploma.

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:

1st vs. 2nd Amendment Showdown Looming [“Socially Awkward” blog, 3/7/16]: The “Docs vs. Glocks” case (Wollschlaeger v. Governor) involves a lunatic Florida law (pardon the redundancy) designed to keep doctors from asking patients about firearms ownership. In an effort to avoid constitutional issues, the law has been watered down to the point where it is little more than a minor annoyance to doctors. That hasn’t been enough to fend off the lawsuits, and now, after several turns through the 11th Circuit, the case is going to be reviewed en banc.

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:

Fleischman: A Brokered RNC Convention Isn’t Good News For Trump [Flash Report, 3/7/16]: If you are Donald J. Trump, you are not very excited about the idea of a “brokered convention.” Aside from falling short of the delegates needed to win the Republican nomination for president outright, the way delegates are chosen, and the nomination process itself, are not ideal for someone running an outsider assault on the 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


The List [The New Yorker, 3/14/16]: When juveniles are found guilty of sexual misconduct, the sex-offender registry can be a life sentence.

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:

Little Sisters and Big Burdens: Does Obamacare substantially burden the free exercise of religion? [Constitution Daily, 4/7/16]: In this commentary, Jeffrey Shulman from Georgetown Law looks at the upcoming Supreme Court case on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and Obamacare, and how the drafting language in RFRA complicates the Court’s job.

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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