Posts for June 7, 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 (5^th ed.) student textbook.

I. Introduction to Law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court [See TOPICS 1-10 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

The Supreme Court Needs to Settle Birthright Citizenship [Slate, 6/6/16]: An injustice in American Samoa shows how SCOTUS can end this controversy.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2016/06/the_supreme_court_needs_to_settle_birthright_citizenship.html

The Long-Discredited Challenge to the Impartiality of Minority Judges [Concurring Opinions, 6/7/16]: Recent challenges to the impartiality of a federal judge based on the judge’s racial identity harken back to a period when accusations of this nature occurred with some frequency. 

http://concurringopinions.com/archives/2016/06/the-long-discredited-challenge-to-the-impartiality-of-minority-judges.html

II. Defining the Political System: Federalism and Checks and Balances [See TOPICS 11-15 in the 5^th 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 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Bernie's California endgame [Politico, 6/6/16]: If Sanders wins the biggest and most delegate-rich primary, all bets are off. The symbolic value of winning California, they think, would underscore his point that the future of the party is on his side and rattle superdelegate confidence in her candidacy.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/bernie-sanders-california-223925

The meaning of Hillary, and the long, hard climb to the top of the ticket [Wash Post, 6/6/16]: Hillary Clinton has been part of our national consciousness for so long that it is easy to forget how far she has pushed the edges. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-meaning-of-hillary-the-presumptive-2016-democratic-presidential-nominee/2016/06/06/1b99bb5c-2b2a-11e6-9b37-42985f6a265c_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_clintonessay940p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Trump train derails on Capitol Hill [Politico, 6/6/16]: His attacks on a Hispanic federal judge spark a new round of condemnation from Republicans. 

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/donald-trump-republicans-congress-senate-223968

Democrats could reaffirm strength in California Senate race [AP, 6/7/16]: California's unusual election rules allow only two U.S. Senate candidates to advance to a November runoff. In a show of political force, both spots could be taken by Democrats, reaffirming the party's dominance in the nation's most populous state. 

http://hosted2.ap.org/CAANR/CA/Article_2016-06-07-US-Senate-2016-California/id-963ee7bcc9184eb2a08e69b27da4bb6b

IV. Criminal Law and Procedure (4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th amendments) [See TOPICS 21-28 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit

What You Need to Know in the Case of Duane Buck [The Marshall Project, 6/6/16]: On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of Duane Buck. Oral arguments are expected to take place during the court's next term, which begins in October. His small army of advocates don’t dispute his guilt but argue he is facing the harshest possible punishment primarily “because he is black.”

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/04/20/what-you-need-to-know-if-the-supreme-court-takes-the-case-of-duane-buck

Is a Life in Solitary “Cruel and Unusual?” [The Marshall Project, 6/6/16]: In Pennsylvania, the heart of solitary confinement reform, an intellectually disabled inmate says he’s been held in wretched isolation for 36 years.

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/06/06/is-a-life-in-solitary-cruel-and-unusual?ref=hp-2-111#.rqX8QfzVB

Calif. High Court OKs Governor's Parole Plan [CNS, 6/6/16]: The California Supreme Court on Monday overturned a lower court's decision and cleared Gov. Jerry Brown's comprehensive parole-reform initiative that was opposed by state prosecutors for the November ballot.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/06/06/calif-high-court-oks-governors-parole-plan.htm

V. 1^st Amendment (Speech, Religion, Press and Assembly) [See TOPICS 29-33 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Legal analysis: How far can schools go in limiting student speech online? [SPLC, 6/6/16]: Some courts uphold student speech rights online and some courts allow school districts to punish students for such speech, even when it is done off campus.

http://www.splc.org/article/2016/06/legal-analysis-student-speech
http://www.splc.org/article/2016/05/speech-beyond-the-schoolhouse-gate

Turning free speech rights inside out [SPLC, 5/25/16]: Schools and courts have been divided while navigating school dress codes and student's First Amendment rights.

http://www.splc.org/article/2016/05/turning-free-speech-rights-inside-out

VI. 14^th Amendment, Discrimination, Privacy, Working, Citizenship & Immigration [See TOPICS 34-41 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Three Years Later: How Snowden Helped the U.S. Intelligence Community [Lawfare blog, 6/6/16]: Three years ago today, The Guardian published the first story based on the huge archive of documents that that Edward Snowden stole from the National Security Agency while working as an NSA contractor.  

https://www.lawfareblog.com/three-years-later-how-snowden-helped-us-intelligence-community