Posts for April 24,
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:
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:
Behold the stump speech, the
daily grind of candidates [AP / SF Chron, 4/23/16]: Day after day, the
candidates for president wake up, brush their teeth and pump themselves up to
say the same thing they did yesterday. And the day before. And the day before
that.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/politics/article/Lo-the-lowly-stump-speech-backbone-of-a-7295342.php
Primaries versus
Caucuses: The Score so Far in 2016 [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 4/21/16]:
Unfair! Rigged! Corrupt! We’re hearing a lot of harsh adjectives being applied
to aspects of the presidential nominating system this year -- from
“double-agent” delegate placement on the Republican side that may frustrate the plurality of GOP voters, to the
establishment-based super delegates (fully 15% of the convention, though down
from 19% in 2008) on the Democratic side.
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
California appellate
court rules school officials’ search of student’s cell phone was constitutional
[NSBA Legal Clips, 4/21/16]: We previously reported on the People v. Rafael C. case, and here is the NSBA brief.
DOJ drops case attempting to force Apple to unlock iPhone [Jurist, 4/23/16]: The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday dropped a
request to force Apple to unlock an iPhone linked to a New York
drug case, stating that an individual has provided investigators with the
passcode to unlock the phone.
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:
Jefferson Muzzles document
disastrous 2015 for First Amendment on U.S. campuses [FAN,
4/21/16]: The Jefferson Center announced the recipients of the 2016 Jefferson
Muzzle awards with five categories: Censorship of Students, Censorship by
Students, Limiting Press Access on Campus, Threats to Academic Freedom, and
Silencing of Outside Speakers.
Is our “watchdog on government” losing its bite? [Newseum, 4/22/16]: What a shame if this were the
generation in which — for whatever reasons — that once-strong watchdog were to
become little more than a show poodle.
Federal Appeals Court
Rejects Religious Challenge to Kansas Science Standards [Justia / Kansas City Star / ARS Technica / School Law
Blog, 4/20/16]: A group alleging that Kansas science standards will result in
anti-religious instruction in public schools lacked standing, the federal
appeals court in Denver ruled.
You can find the decision in COPE (Citizens for Objective Public
Education) v. Kansas St. Bd. Of Educ. at:
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:
Colorado Commission
Advises Against Native American Mascots
[Denver Post /
Schooled in Sports blog, 4/22/16]: Colorado's Commission to Study American
Indian Representation in Public Schools recommends the elimination of all
disparaging and offensive mascots in the state's public schools. In a report
released Monday by the Commission to Study American
Indian Representation in Public Schools, the group recommends the elimination of all disparaging and
offensive mascots in the state's public schools.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29782835/report-colorado-public-schools-should-end-american-indian
Florida district
allows transgender high school student to use boys’ bathroom, while student
lobbies school board to adopt policy allowing transgender students to use
bathroom facilities based on gender identity [NSBA Legal Clips, 4/21/16]: Nate
Quinn, a transgender student who attends high school in Sarasota County,
Florida, has been allowed to use the boys’ bathroom at school after months of
petitioning school district officials. Quinn’s initial requests to use the
boys’ bathrooms were denied by officials at Pine View School.
More transgender news [NSBA, 4/20/16]: The 4th
Circuit decision in Gloucester:
[NSBA, 4/19/16]: Regarding Tennessee:
Justia reports on school funding case, Campign for Quality Education v.
State of Cal.
International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
Federal
judge rules lawsuit against creators of CIA interrogation program may proceed [Jurist, 4/23/16]: US District
Court Judge Justin Quackenbush of the US
District Court of the Eastern District of Washington decided
that the three plaintiffs, who claim that they were tortured in secret overseas
military prisons, may continue with their lawsuit which claims that the two psychologists
encouraged the CIA to adopt
torture as an official policy and made millions of dollars doing so.
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