Friday, May 20, 2016

Posts for May 20, 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:

Oklahoma's Quixotic Abortion Bill [The Atlantic / USA Today, 5/19/16]: Sooner State lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that would send doctors who perform the procedure to prison.

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

(Yet) Another Obamacare Lawsuit Raises Issue Whether the House Can Sue the President [Justia, 5/20/16]: Professor Amar discusses a challenge to the Affordable Care Act (popularly known as Obamacare) that recently succeeded in a lower federal court. That challenge, brought by the U.S. House of Representatives, raises the threshold issue whether the House can sue the president to vindicate their legislative powers. Amar explains the few notable times the Supreme Court has considered whether legislators or legislatures could sue the executive branch, and he compares and contrasts those cases with the present challenge.

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 Veepstakes, Part two: Trump’s Temptation
[Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 5/19/16]: A candidate who prefers flash might be better off playing it safe. Two articles on this issue from Larry Sabato’s U. ov VA. “Center for Politics.”

Libertarian Gary Johnson secures running mate [AP, 5/18/16]: Seizing new fuel for his appeal to Donald Trump's critics, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has joined forces with another former Republican governor to strengthen his Libertarian presidential bid.

Liberals are dangerously wrong about Citizens United: Money is speech [LA Times Op-Ed, 5/20/16]: Once upon a time, liberals pushed free speech at every opportunity. They lauded Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes and Louis Brandeis for protecting unpopular views early in the last century. During the 1960s, Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement demanded the right to demonstrate politically on campus — and liberals championed the cause.

Will Trump cost Republicans the Senate? [McClatchy DC 5/19/16]: For some GOP incumbents, the 2016 vote means contending with their Democratic rivals while also worrying about being dragged down by the man poised to be at the top of the Republican ticket in November. 

Hillary Clinton: Trump is "not qualified" to be President [AP, 5/19/16]: During an interview on CNN Thursday, the Democratic front-runner criticized the presumptive Republican nominee, questioning his ability to handle complex foreign policy challenges and decrying his "irresponsible, reckless dangerous comments."

Texas Voter-Identification Law Faces Key Test in 5th Circuit [CNS, 5/20/16]: Texas' voter-identification law will be stripped down and prodded next week by 15 Fifth Circuit judges, who must decide if it discriminates against minorities and should be scrapped before November's presidential election.

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

Gun control: California Senate passes sweeping new restrictions on firearms owners [AP, 5/19/16]: Responding to last year's deadly terrorist attack on San Bernardino and other mass shootings, the state Senate this morning approved the first in a series of sweeping gun-control bills the upper house is set to consider today. 

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

Voters’ clashing options: speed executions or abolish them [SF Chron, 5/19/16]: Death-penalty supporters submitted signatures on a ballot measure Thursday aimed at speeding up executions in California, setting the stage for voters to decide in November whether to retain and overhaul the state’s death penalty or abolish it. 

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:

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:

Civil rights group’s suit alleges Florida district is denying enrollment to immigrant children [NSBA Legal Clips, 5/19/16]: The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed suit in federal court against Collier County school district claiming the school district is denying immigrant students access to a public education and discriminating against those with limited English skills.

International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]

Supreme Court Eases Deportation for Immigrants Who Break State Laws [WSJ, 5/19/16]: Decision rejects claim that deportation trigger was limited to crimes related to interstate commerce.

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