Posts for July 12, 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.

You may have missed it this year, but check out next year! This is particular for students in the 9^th Circuit.

http://www.ce9.uscourts.gov/civicscontest/2016_Civics_Contest_Rules.pdf

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The Declaration of Independence: From Rough Draft to Proclamation [CRN, 7/11/16]: Students will analyze an unidentified historical document and draw conclusions about what this document was for, who created it, and why. After the document is identified as Thomas Jefferson’s “original Rough draught” of the Declaration of Independence, students will compare its text to that of the final document adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776 and discuss the significance of differences in wording.

http://www.civicsrenewalnetwork.org/resources/declaration-independence-rough-draft-proclamation

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Trump [CNN, 7/12/16]:  'He is a faker,' should share tax returns. Did she cross an important line?

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/12/politics/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-donald-trump-faker/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/11/in-bashing-donald-trump-some-say-ruth-bader-ginsburg-just-crossed-a-very-important-line/

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:

Venus vs. Mars: A Record-Setting Gender Gap [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 7/11/16]: 2016 could see the largest political divide between men and women in the exit poll era.

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/venus-vs-mars-a-record-setting-gender-gap/

Vice-Presidential Selection 2016: Will the Patterns Predict the Picks [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 7/11/16]: Recurring patterns appear in vice presidential selection that often help predict future choices. Yet change also occurs, sometimes rendering predictions based on past patterns wrong.

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/vp-selection-2016-will-the-patterns-predict-the-picks/

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

After a week of violent shootings, what to tell the kids? [KPCC, 7/12/16]: The shootings last week that left two black men dead at the hands of police officers and five Dallas police officers dead at the hands of a sniper have left families worried about how to talk to their kids about it. 

http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/07/12/62454/after-a-week-of-violent-shootings-what-to-tell-the/

The 4^th Amendment and Teens [CRN, 7/11/16]: What does the Fourth Amendment mean in the lives of teens? When they are driving? When they are using their cell phone? When they are at a house party? The Supreme Court has found that it is not a guarantee against all searches and seizures, but only those that are deemed unreasonable under law. These activities, which engage all learning styles, apply Supreme Court precedents to relatable, teen scenarios. The resources are ready for immediate use in courtrooms and classrooms.

http://www.civicsrenewalnetwork.org/resources/fourth-amendment-and-teens

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:

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: