Wednesday, July 20, 2016


Posts for July 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:

Supreme Court nominee out in cold as election heats up [Reuters, 7/19/16]: Merrick Garland hit an unwanted milestone on Tuesday as the federal appeals court judge's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court reached its 125th day with no Senate action, tying for the longest pending nomination ever to the high court.

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:


The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Obama administration asks Supreme Court to rehear immigration case [Reuters / Constitution Daily / Bloomberg View, 7/18/16]: In a last-ditch effort to revive a White House plan to protect up to 4 million immigrants from deportation, the Obama administration on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rehear a case on which the eight-member court was split 4-4 last month.

Clinton and the Democrats Will Have Two Years, at Most, to Accomplish Anything [Justia, 7/20/16]: Professor Buchanan explains why, if Hillary Clinton is elected, she has at most two years in which to enact legislation. As Buchanan explains, the pattern of U.S. Senate elections makes it highly unlikely there can be any lasting, meaningful change to the government’s partisan gridlock.

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:

Not so Hot in Cleveland [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 7/20/16]: With two nights down at the Republican National Convention and two nights to go, here are five quick observations on Trump TV

As Trump is Coronated, Republicans Fight a Familiar Internal Battle [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 8/20/16]: From Taft to Trump, with a lot in between. An interesting historical read.


Voting challenges head toward the Supreme Court: 4 cases to watch [CNN, 7/19/16]: The looming election and the Supreme Court will converge in the coming months as voting rights challenges on issues such as Voter ID, early vote cutbacks and same-day registration make their way to the high court.

Trump chief blames Hillary for repeated words in Melania’s speech [SF Chron, 7/19/16]: After spending hours trying to explain how Melania Trump’s well-received prime time speech Monday at the Republican National Convention had sections that were, ah, similar to the talk Michelle Obama gave at the 2008 Democratic convention, Donald Trump’s team came up with an answer: Hillary did it.

Trump bounces back [Politico, 7/19/16]: Gone were the rambling musings from Monday. In was a crisp schedule that had his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., kick off the prime-time programming with one of the best surrogate speeches of 2016, a deft blend of character testimonial as only a child can provide and an impassioned check-list of conservative agenda items popular with the GOP crowd.

Wisconsin court order relaxes voter ID law for November election [Jurist, 7/20/16]: Judge Lynn Alderman's order implemented an "affidavit option" sought by the plaintiffs, in which voters who are not able to obtain ID can still vote if they sign a declaration explaining why they were unable to do so. The 

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

Two Parties, Two Platforms on Criminal Justice [The Marshall Project, 7/18/16]: The Republicans nod to reforms, then take a sharp right turn.

Arkansas execution case could lead court to revisit Oklahoma [AP, 7/19/16]: Lawyers for eight death row inmates in Arkansas say their challenge of the state's execution procedures should warrant a U.S. Supreme Court review that would likely revisit the high court's ruling on an Oklahoma case.

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:

Protests Aplenty, but No Disorder, as Republicans Nominate Trump [CNS, 7/20/16]: Temperatures climbed Tuesday as Republicans confirmed Donald Trump as their nominee for president and on the streets of Cleveland tensions between factions of demonstrators surrounding the Quicken Loans Arena also heated up.

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:



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