Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Posts for April 13, 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.

Letting teachers carry guns? Fresno County school districts have mixed views [Fresno Bee, 4/12/16]: Kingsburg Joint Union High School District trustees approved a policy this week to allow teachers to carry guns on campus – but there’s no sign that other districts in Fresno County plan to follow Kingburg’s lead anytime soon.

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:

Dueling responses to the Court's ACA birth-control idea [SCOTUS blog, 4/12/16]: The Supreme Court on Tuesday drew one quite enthusiastic taker, and one definitely wary and troubled taker, for the Court’s own idea on a way to decide the seven cases the Justices are weighing in Zubik v. Burwell.   

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Constitution Check: Could Obama bypass the Senate on Garland nomination? [Constitution Daily, 4/12/16]: Lyle Denniston, the National Constitution Center’s constitutional literacy adviser, looks at a novel argument that President Obama can directly appoint a Supreme Court Justice if the Senate doesn’t act on a nomination.

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:

Court ruling opens way for those without ID to vote [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Wisconsin State Journal ,4/12/16]:  A panel of three federal judges opened up the possibility Tuesday that Wisconsin voters who have great difficulty getting photo IDs could cast ballots without them.

Trump Faces "Monumental Task" Organizing California Delegates [CPR, 4/12/16]: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has picked a veteran GOP strategist to run his California campaign just weeks before vote-by-mail ballots go out, leaving his campaign with a lot of work to do in very little time.

Billionaires fund anti-Trump delegate push [Politico, 4/12/16]: First they spent tens of millions trying to boost their favorite presidential candidates, then they poured cash into ads attacking Donald Trump, and now some of the biggest donors on the right are turning their attention to the delegate fight.

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


After Cosby's accusers testify, Legislature weighs eliminating statute of limitations for sex crimes [AP, 4/12/16]: After wrenching testimony that included accounts from three alleged victims of comedian Bill Cosby, a Senate committee on Tuesday gave its first approval to a bill that would allow sex crimes to be prosecuted no matter how long ago they occurred. 

Oakland Cops Quietly Acquired Social Media Surveillance Tool [East Bay Express, 4/12/16]: Geofeedia software allows the police to search Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Picasa, Flickr and Weibo for key words in real-time, geographically locating people as they communicate with each other on the go, reading their posts, viewing their pictures and videos, and tracking who they interact with.

Even Teen Murderers Can Change [Bloomberg View, 4/12/16]: What good is winning a reprieve from life without parole if the court just turns around and resentences you to 59 years in prison?

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:

Documentary on Comedy, Campus Codes & Free Speech to Air at National Constitution Center [Concurring Opinions, 4/13/16]: “Being bruced” means being prosecuted or harassed for speaking freely, for expressing unpopular ideas, or for breaking taboos. To be “bruced” is to be silenced for exercising one’s First Amendment rights. The expression derives from Lenny Bruce’s free-speech encounters with the law.

A Safe Haven for Kody? Sister Wives Star Loses on Appeal, but Protected From Bigamy Prosecution in Utah [Justia, 4/13/16]: Professor Grossman comments on a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reinstating Utah’s criminal law banning bigamy. Grossman explains the facts leading up to the lawsuit, the holding of the district, and the reasoning behind the Tenth Circuit’s reversal.

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:

Do America's Schools Perpetuate a Racial Caste System? [EdLawProfs Blog, 4/13/16]: Daniel Kiel's response to the question is yes.

Argument preview: A big, or not so big, ruling due on immigration [SCOTUS blog / New Republic / ThinkProgress, 4/11/16]: When the Supreme Court in mid-January agreed to review the legality of President Barack Obama’s ambitious new policy for delaying the deportation of nearly five million undocumented immigrants, the Justices enlarged the case into a major constitutional test.  But, with eight Justices now on the bench, the Court could find itself having to decide it on a narrower, yet still historically important, constitutional basis.

http://www.scotusblog.com/2016/04/argument-preview-a-big-or-not-so-big-ruling-due-on-immigration/

https://newrepublic.com/article/132574/even-conservatives-agree-obamas-immigration-powers-will-supreme-court

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/04/11/3767805/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-supreme-court-challenge-to-obamas-immigration-policies/

 

North Carolina governor seeks to clarify controversial LGBT law [Jurist, 3/12/16]: North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory on Tuesday issued an executive order that he says is meant to clarify the previously passed House Bill 2 . In a statement on the order, the governor said that House Bill 2's mandate of gender-specific restrooms and locker rooms in government buildings and schools will be maintained, but that he will also seek legislation in a short session to reinstate the right to sue for discrimination in state court. The order came in response to significant backlash against the bill, which has been called discriminatory and unconstitutional by various individuals and rights groups.

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2016/04/north-carolina-governor-seeks-to-clarify-controversial-transgender-law.php

 

Teacher Who Helped Pregnant Girl Reinstated [CNS, 4/13/16]: A high school counselor who was fired for seeking legal help for a student who feared telling her mother that she wanted an abortion will get her job back, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/04/13/teacher-who-helped-pregnant-girl-reinstated.htm

 



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