Posts for April 14,
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:
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:
The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Obama's power over immigration drives Supreme Court dispute [AP, 4/14/16]: The raging political fight over immigration comes
to the Supreme Court on Monday in a dispute that could affect millions of
people who are in the United States illegally.
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:
American Anger: It’s Not the
Economy. It’s the Other Party [Lynn Vavreck in the NY Times, 4/2/16]:
Americans are angry. That’s the
sentiment that many believe is driving the 2016 election. They are angry
because the rich are getting richer, the average guy is struggling and the
government in Washington hasn’t done anything to stop the trend. But it may not
be that simple.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/upshot/american-anger-its-not-the-economy-its-the-other-party.html
How Republicans and Democrats pick California delegates to
conventions [Sac Bee, 4/13/16]: The district-level delegate –
that typically under-appreciated cog in the machinery of presidential elections
– could wield huge clout in Cleveland if no candidate arrives at the Republican
National Convention with the nomination locked up.
House 2016: How a
Democratic Wave Could Happen [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 4/14/16]: More than a dozen rating changes, almost all favoring Democrats.
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/house-2016-how-a-democratic-wave-could-happen/
Higher Voter Turnout
Alone is Unlikely to Change the Outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 4/14/16]: Despite
their differences, however, Cruz and Sanders have one thing in common -- their
electoral strategies rely heavily on dramatically expanding the American
electorate.
In Quest To Register Voters, Sacramento Students
Encounter Rejection, Language Barriers And Dogs [CPR, 4/13/16]: The
effort to mobilize voters to go to the polls is a grueling process. Over Spring
Break, the Sacramento State Civic Engagement Center took high school and
college students door-to-door to register voters in one of Sacramento's
historically low voter turnout neighborhoods.
GOP leaders to Trump: Get over it! [Politico /
Roll Call, 4/13/16]: National Republican leaders have a message for Donald
Trump: Stop complaining. The rules are the rules.
Donald Trump shuffles struggling campaign team [Politico,
4/13/16]: Wounded GOP front-runner Donald Trump is quietly setting up a
parallel campaign structure, hiring known Republican fixers to professionalize
his operation and sidelining his original team.
Kasich Tells Maryland
not to Count Him Out [CNS, 4/14/16]: With
one primary season victory to his name, from his home state, Ohio Gov. John
Kasich pushed for Maryland's support Wednesday at a town hall.
Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)
House May Delay Zika
Funds Until September [CNS, 4/13/16]: After
federal health officials confirmed a link between the Zika virus and birth
defects Wednesday, congressional Republicans said that additional funding to
combat the virus may have to wait until September.
Genuine Tax
Simplification—Not Grandstanding—From Senator Warren and Friends [Justia, 4/14/16]: Professor Buchanan praises a bill
proposed by Senator Elizabeth Warren that would simplify the filing of taxes.
Buchanan explains why filing should be much simpler than it is and also why
efforts to simplify the process have, to date, failed.
A Senate Executive Order {Gerard Magliocca in
“Concurring Opinions, 4/13/16]: “I want to try to draw an analogy
between the Senate’s refusal to give Judge Garland a hearing and President
Obama’s use of an executive order to implement immigration reforms.”
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
Federal appeals court
rules no warrant required to obtain phone location records [Jurist,
4/14/16]: The FBI obtained
cellphone locations of two suspects in several robberies, later convicted on
several charges, through cell-site data via the two suspects' wireless
carriers.
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:
Panama Papers data breach poses questions for the future
of journalism [FAC, 4/12/16]: The so-called Panama Papers may signify a new era in
journalism, an escalation into data breaches often achieved through hacking.
It is getting more difficult for governments and giant corporations to keep
their unsavory dealings from public scrutiny.
Polygamy Is the Next
Marriage-Rights Frontier [Bloomberg, 4/13/16]: After
the Supreme Court’s landmark gay
marriage decision, can a constitutional right to plural marriage be far behind?
It seemed that way in 2013, when a federal district court in Utah followed the
Supreme Court ruling by striking
down part of the state’s bigamy law in a case involving the family featured in
the television show “Sister Wives.”
Supreme Court's Birth-Control Compromise Gets Mixed Reaction [Bloomberg / CNN /
Constitution Daily, 4/13/16]: The U.S. Supreme Court got a mixed
reaction from the Obama administration and religious groups to its unusual
proposal to resolve a clash over employee insurance coverage for
contraceptives.
Flag case: Confederate
emblem 'anti-American,' judge says [AP, 4/13/16]: A
federal judge said Tuesday that the Confederate emblem on the Mississippi flag
is 'anti-American' because it represents those who fought to leave the United
States.
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:
New Lawsuit
Challenging Teacher Tenure Ignores Basic Facts about Teaching Quality and
Segregation [EdLawProfs Blog, 4/14/16]: Minnesota is now the third state to entertain the
theory that teacher tenure and seniority protections violate students' state
constitutional right to education.
U.S. Dep’t of Ed
opens probe of Michigan district’s alleged discrimination against transgender
students [NSBA Legal Clips, 4/14/16]: Bedford Public Schools (BPS) is the
target of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for
Civil Rights (OCR) into alleged discrimination against transgender students. While OCR
declined to provide specifics about the investigation, it will be probing
whether BPS is violating the rights of transgender students under Title
IX.
Oregon district hit
with Title IX suit by female student-athletes [NSBA Legal Clips, 4/12/16]: KOIN 6 reports
that Lake Oswego School District (LOSD) is being sued in federal court by
members of Lake Oswego High School's (LOHS) softball team. The
Title IX discrimination suit alleges that LOSD is denying female student
athletes equal participation opportunities. Nine members of the team have
joined the suit.
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