Posts for April 10, 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 (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:

So Far There's Not Much Dirt on Obama's Supreme Court Pick [Mother Jones, 5/8/16]: Here's the best Merrick Garland's opponents have to work with.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/04/critics-struggling-dirt-merrick-garland-supreme-court

Sotomayor: US high court needs more diversity, in many ways [AP / Sante Fe Reporter, 4/9/16]: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the nation's highest court needs more diversity of personal backgrounds and professional experience, speaking as a vacancy has refocused attention on the court's makeup.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_SOTOMAYOR

http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-11812-%E2%80%98still-tilting-at-windmills%E2%80%99.html

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:

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:

Trump's Saturday delegate disaster [Politico, 4/9/16]: Donald Trump’s struggle to win loyal delegates to the Republican National Convention grew even more desperate on Satur day, with crushing losses in Colorado and South Carolina that put victory at a contested convention further from his grasp.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/donald-trump-colorado-south-carolina-delegates-221762

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

For Shame [Slate, 4/7/16]: The criminal justice system encourages prosecutors to get guilty verdicts by any means necessary -- and to stand by even the most questionable convictions; Can one crusading court stop the lying and cheating?

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2016/04/alex_kozinski_and_the_ninth_circuit_s_crusade_against_prosecutorial_misconduct.html

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:

Maryland legislature passes student press freedom bill [SPLC, 4/10/16]: The state legislature gave final approval to a student press freedom bill this weekend, sending the anti-censorship legislation to the governor’s desk.

http://www.splc.org/article/2016/04/maryland-new-voices-passes-legislature

Sometimes a Cross Is Just a Cross (or Is It?) [Bloomberg View, 4/8/16]: If I tell you a California judge struck down the addition of a Christian cross to the Los Angeles County seal, that probably sounds like a good example of the separation of church and state. If I tell you that the cross was going to be added to an image of the San Gabriel mission to reflect the real-life, cross-topped church, the same decision begins to sound like judicial overreach. When it comes to religion, framing is everything -- at least under current law.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-04-08/california-court-deems-cross-too-religious

Former student's case against Fresno State to be revived [Fresno Bee / Student Press Law Center, 4/8/16]: A former Fresno State student is moving forward with his claims that the university unfairly punished him for speaking out about his conservative political views. Earlier this week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Neil O’Brien’s federal lawsuit – which was thrown out by a lower court judge – can be reconsidered.

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education/article70830577.html

http://www.splc.org/article/2016/04/ninth-circuit-ruling-in-california-student-expression-case

The decision in O’Brien v. Welty can be found at:

http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2016/04/07/13-16279.pdf

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:

California protects pay by gender, is race next? [AP, 4/9/16]: Just as California businesses begin to implement a law requiring equal pay for workers regardless of their gender, already the toughest of its kind in the nation, a state lawmaker is seeking to expand it to protect employees from racial discrimination. 

http://hosted2.ap.org/CAANR/CA/Article_2016-04-10-CA-XGR--Equal%20Pay-Race/id-b9ebac039e53479ca10001cb0afa1046

 

California teachers ask Supreme Court to reconsider opt-out policy for union fees [Jurist, 4/9/16]: Lawyers for several public school teachers in California requested on Friday that the US Supreme Court rehear the case of Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association after a ninth justice is appointed. Last month, an equally divided court affirmed a 2014 decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in favor of union fees for non-union public employees. 

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2016/04/california-teachers-ask-supreme-court-to-reconsider-opt-out-policy-for-union-fees.php