Posts for May 3, 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.
California teachers: Download an updated Kids
and the Law: An A-to-Z Guide, published by the California state bar.
This is a great resource forlaw-related
educators.
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:
Supreme Court, without
Scalia, leaning liberal for second year [USA Today, 5/2/16]: When the Supreme Court completed its last term in June by
upholding same-sex marriage and Obamacare, conservatives predicted this year
would provide an about-face from a surprising string of liberal victories.
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:
American Has Never
Been So Ripe for Tyranny [Andrew Sullivan in the NY Mag, 5/2/16]: Among
other tidbits from Andrew Sullivan here, try this one: “The inclusion of
previously excluded voices helps, rather than impedes, our public deliberation.
But it is precisely because of the great accomplishments of our democracy that
we should be vigilant about its specific, unique vulnerability: its
susceptibility, in stressful times, to the appeal of a shameless
demagogue.” Or, later on, “The vital and
valid lesson of the Trump phenomenon is that if the elites cannot govern by compromise,
someone outside will eventually try to govern by popular passion and brute
force.” This is a long piece, but worth a read for thoughtful students.
Did the Supreme Court Make
the Right Decision in the Citizens United Case After All? [Vanity Fair, May, 2016]: Few
Supreme Court decisions have been memorable—and even fewer have been
notoriously wrong. Michael Kinsley examines how the controversial Citizens
United v. Federal Election Commission case simply
upheld a core national value (and maybe not the one you think).
Donald Trump’s claim about receiving the most votes ever
in Republican primaries is False … for now [PolitiFactCA, 5/2/16]:
Donald Trump’s march to the GOP nomination picked up steam last week, with
dominant primary victories in the northeast.
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
Longtime Death-Row
Inmate Denied Certiorari [CNS, 5/2/16]: Justice
Stephen Breyer complained Monday after the Supreme Court refused to hear a case
where a man has been sitting on death row for 32 years.
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:
Let’s Celebrate “Our” World Press Freedom Day, Today [Newseum, 5/3/16]: “Rapidly disappearing around the
globe, endangered even here in the United States, increasingly threatened by
demagogues and dictators, digital disruption and disappearing advocates, Press
Freedom Day.”
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:
Blue for Boys, White with Flowers for Girls: When
Commencement is an Exercise in Discrimination
[Justia, 5/3/16]: Professors Grossman and Bartlett explain why a high school
policy prescribing one color of robes for boys and another color for girls
violates both the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title
IX. Grossman and Bartlett describe how this controversy could be easily
resolved, as other schools have resolved other similar controversies.
A Room with a View: Federal Appeals Court Says School
District Cannot Bar Transgender Boy from Using the Bathroom Aligned with his Gender
Identity [Justia, 5/3/16]: Professor Grossman
comments on a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit holding that a school district cannot bar a transgender boy from using
the boys’ restroom. Grossman explains the reasoning behind the appellate
court’s decision and calls into question the rhetoric that single-sex bathrooms
are somehow “sacred”—in light of the many scandals that take place in these
places.
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