Posts for June 21, 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.
Inspire but don't test for vital qualities of mind like
grit [EdSource, 6/20/16]: With
the publication of “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power
of Character” four years ago, author Paul Tough inspired a national
conversation about learning mindsets like grit and perseverance: why they’re
important and how they’re formed early in childhood.
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:
Constitution Check: Are
the Insular Cases still binding, after a century? [Constitution Daily,
6/20/16]: Lyle Denniston, the National
Constitution Center’s constitutional literacy adviser, looks at recent cases
involving Puerto Rico and American Samoa that tested the ability
of Congress to decide which constitutional provisions or guarantees
apply in the territories.
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:
Pa. High court: NRA can't
challenge local gun laws [Pittsburg Post-Gazette, 6/20/16]: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday declined to
reinstate a law that gave groups like the National Rifle Association the right
to challenge local gun-control rules in court.
Supreme Court leaves Conn., N.Y. assault weapons bans in
place [Politico / Jurist, 6/20/16]: The court’s decision Monday to
reject separate challenges to each state’s law leaves in place measures that
ban weapons like the one used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that
left 20 children and six faculty members dead.
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Supreme Court to Review President's Ability to
Temporarily Fill Top Posts [SCOTUS
blog / Bloomberg News, 6/20/16]: The case centers on how to interpret
provisions in the 1998 Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
The case at issue is NLRB v. SW General, Inc. and can be
found at:
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:
A Tale of Two
Elections: Clinton’s 2016 Primary Performance Versus 2008 [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 6/21/16]: One striking aspect
of the Democratic primary race was the stark role-reversal in Hillary Clinton’s
2016 performance compared with her narrow loss to Barack Obama in 2008’s
Democratic nomination battle.
Legal experts on Donald Trump: 'He lacks respect for
basic norms' [The (U.K.) Guardian,
6/20/16]: From bringing back waterboarding to temporarily banning Muslims,
legal professionals says Donald Trump 'pays no attention to the law.
Trump's campaign cycles $6 million into Trump companies [AP,
6/21/16]: The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has been on the campaign
trail for a year now, and federal finance reports detail a campaign unafraid to
co-mingle political and business endeavors in an unprecedented way — even as he
is making appeals for donations.
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
Senate votes down gun control measures, including
Feinstein bill [SF Chron, 6/20/16]: Just eight days after Omar Mateen
turned his newly purchased guns on patrons in an Orlando nightclub, Senate
Republicans defeated legislation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein that would have
prevented him from legally buying the weapons had the law been in place. Three
other gun measures also went down to defeat.
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
SCOTUS ruling on Utah drug case could affect police
searches [Deseret News, 6/20/16]: Evidence
collected by police after they arrest a suspect can potentially be admitted in
court, even if the initial stop by officers was illegal, the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled Monday on a Utah drug case.
The Supreme Court Just Ruled In Favor Of The Police
State, And Sonia Sotomayor Is Not Having It [Huff Post, 6/20/16]: She lashed out at 'lawless police conduct' that
disproportionately targets black and brown Americans. “Do not be soothed by the
opinion’s technical language: This case allows the police to stop you on the
street, demand your identification, and check it for outstanding traffic
warrants—even if you are doing nothing wrong,” Sotomayor wrote.
Justices Wrangle Over
Juror-Strike Precedent [CNS, 6/21/16]: Justices
Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas complained Monday about inmates winning
Supreme Court relief on the basis of new precedent about discriminatory jury
strikes.
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:
After
Orlando, Reclaiming Our Common Humanity [Charlie Haynes of the Newseum, 6/21/16]: Under
the First Amendment every voice has the right to be heard in America – however
offensive or disturbing. But a free society that would also be civil requires a
critical mass of people willing to answer hatred and intolerance with love and
compassion.
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:
Changing the World Once Case at a Time: A Review of
Gillian Thomas’s Because of Sex: One Law,
Ten Cases, and Fifty Years That Changed American Women’s Lives at Work [Justia, 6/21/16]: Professor Grossman praises Gillian
Thomas’s new book Because of Sex: One Law, Ten Cases, and Fifty Years
That Changed American Women’s Lives at Work, which profiles ten of the most
important Supreme Court cases to the advancement of women’s equality in the workplace.
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