Thursday, April 28, 2016

Posts for April 28, 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:

Sanders to Lay Off Staff, Make Stand in Calif. [CNS, 4/27/16]: Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that he will lay off hundreds of campaign staff across the country and focus the remainder of his campaign efforts on winning in California.

Sabato’s Democratic Forecast Model Beats the Polls [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 4/28/16]: Late last week, the Crystal Ball published a simple forecasting model that they created to try to predict the results of the Democratic primary. The model is based on three predictors -- region (South versus North), African-American percentage of primary voters in 2008, and Democratic percentage of primary voters in 2008 -- and it outperformed pre-election polls in the five Democratic primaries held on April 26.

Indiana: #NeverTrump’s Last Stand? [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 4/28/16]: Cruz hopes for Wisconsin repeat in a state that’s more open to voting Trump. One could not be blamed for looking at the Republican primary results over the past 10 days and questioning how someone could stop Donald Trump from being the Republican nominee. But a look at the delegate math suggests that the race is not over yet.

Could Fiorina Help Cruz Win California Delegates? [CPR, 4/27/16]: If there’s any doubt that Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz needs a strong showing in California’s June 7th primary election, just look at his newly-named running mate. Carly Fiorina has plenty of California ties – and now she’ll be asked to help Cruz block Donald Trump, starting at this weekend's California Republican Party convention. 

In Politics, It Isn’t Easy Being Clean [Fox & Hounds, 4/17/16]: In the political arena, there are few white hats and black hats. The real work gets done in the grey areas.

The Seats Democrats Must Win to Retake House [Roll Call, 4/28/16]: It’s not too difficult to see Democrats gaining 10, or even 20, seats in November, but gaining the 30 required for a majority is more difficult and will require Democrats winning a large swath of seats where Republicans are currently heavy favorites.

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


Oklahoma court: oral sex is not rape if victim is unconscious from drinking [The Guardian, 4/27/16]: The ruling sparked outrage among critics who argue the judicial system engaged in victim-blaming and upholding outdated notions about rape and sexual assault.

Dangerous New Uses for Government Eavesdropping [Bloomberg View, 4/27/16]: The U.S. government claims the right to eavesdrop at-will on your e-mail when you're writing to someone who lives abroad. Now it wants to be able to use those e-mails to convict you of a crime.

A Death Sentence in Louisiana Rarely Means You’ll be Executed [The Marshall Project, 4/28/16]: Over the last 40 years, reversals have become commonplace.

The Other F-word [The Marshall Project, 4/27/16]: What we call the imprisoned matters. The other day Margaret Love, a veteran clemency lawyer, scolded The New York Times for this front-page headline: “Virginia Governor Restores Voting Rights to Felons.” She applauded the news — some 200,000 Virginians, most of them African-American, recovered their voting rights under Governor Terry McAuliffe’s executive order — but she deplored the word “felons.”

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:


Highest military court hears Marine's religious freedom case [Stars and Stripes / Fox News / McClatchy DC, 4/27/16]: Rare arguments before the highest military court in the land Wednesday came down to whether a Marine’s refusal to obey orders to remove signs from her desk containing a biblical passage were her exercising her right of religious freedom or just plain insubordination.

Paterson faces possible $2M expense after Supreme Court ruling in cop's free speech case [Hackensack (MJ) Record, 4/27/16]: “This decision helps curb threatening behaviors of state employers,” said Ed Barocas, legal director of the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The ruling also could saddle city taxpayers with almost $2 million in legal fees and damages, lawyers and officials said on Tuesday.

More articles on the Hefferman case:

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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