Posts for May 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.
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:
Decision Time Arrives for
Controversy-Shy U.S. Supreme Court [Bloomberg, 5/13/16]: The court is opening the last phase of its nine-month
term, a six-week stretch that will feature rulings on affirmative action,
immigration, abortion, contraceptive coverage, and Puerto Rico’s debt. A batch
of opinions is likely on Monday.
Does Size Matter? [Governing.com, 5/12/16]: The Latest Battle Over State Supreme Courts;
Over the past decade, legislators in several states have sought to expand or
reduce the number of justices on their highest courts; In some cases, they
admit their intent to tilt the ideological balance.
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:
U.S. judge hands win to Republicans in
Obamacare challenge [Reuters / Politico / SCOTUS blog,
5/12/16]: U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer,
based in Washington, ruled that the administration cannot spend billions of
dollars in federal funds to provide subsidies under the law known as Obamacare
to private insurers without the approval of Congress. Congress
authorized the program but never actually provided the money for it, wrote the
judge. The program will be allowed to continue, pending appeal. Next step: the
D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
Here Judge Collyer’s ruling:
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
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:
The Trump-GOP feud lives on [Politico, 5/12/16]:
Pretty pictures aside, Trump and the party elite still have serious issues to
settle.
‘Guys with big hands’: Top GOP ad man launches campaign
to ‘unsell’ Trump [Politico, 5/12/16]: After decades of selling
leading GOP candidates, political ad guru Bob Gardner — who has created TV
campaign spots for Dick Cheney, Gerald Ford, Mitt Romney, George H.W. Bush, and
Arnold Schwarzenegger — is drawing the line at helping Donald Trump
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
States Move Toward
Treating 17-Year-Old Offenders as Juveniles, Not Adults [NY Times,
5/13/16]: When Chené Marshall got into a fight in high school, she assumed she
might get suspended. Instead, the police arrested her. Then a 17-year-old
junior with no criminal record, she did not realize that Louisiana was one of
the dwindling minority of states where all 17-year-olds are treated as adults
by the criminal justice system.
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:
Make America Safe Again: Reject Islamophobia [Charlie Haynes of the Newseum, 5/13/16]: On the
campaign trail, Islamophobia has moved from the crackpot fringe to mainstream
political discourse. Only by making America safe again for Muslim citizens will
we keep America safe for people of all faiths and none.
Facebook is More Like a Cable Network than a Newspaper [Concurring Opinions, 5/13/16]: “As I worried yesterday, Facebook’s defenders are already trying to end the conversation about platform bias before
it can begin. “It’s like complaining that the New York Times doesn’t publish
everything that’s fit to print or that Fox News is conservative,” Eugene Volokh
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:
The National School Boards Association legal team has been
actively involved in the “transgender students using school facilities” debate.
Here are some recent links to articles from various states:
North Carolina: http://legalclips.nsba.org/2016/05/11/federal-government-and-north-carolina-file-lawsuits-against-each-other-over-states-public-restroom-law/
Departments of
Education and Justice Issue Policy Guidance on Transgender Rights [EdLawProfs blog, 5/13/16]: The
guidance does not mince words or over-complicate the issue, but simply states
that the "Departments treat a student’s gender identity as the student’s
sex for purposes of Title IX and its implementing regulations.
Here’s the “policy guidance”:
International Law, Citizenship and
Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
Amnesty: Syria armed groups committing war crimes
[Jurist, 5/13/16]: The human rights group
found that these armed opposition groups are routinely carrying out attacks
that indiscriminately target civilians and civilian sites, resulting in murder
and destruction in the area.
Trump’s Border Wall:
It Should Never Happen [Justia, 5/13/16]:
John Dean analyzes Donald Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the
Mexican-United States border. Dean explains why the wall is not only
logistically unfeasible, but also why it is simply a bad idea as a matter of
policy.
Secrecy Thwarts Justice at Guantanamo [Bloomberg, 5/12/16]: Secrecy
and justice don't mix. Just look at the latest contortions in the case of
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks.
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