Sunday, July 31, 2016

Posts for July 31, 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.

Pocket US Constitution becomes best-seller after speech [AP, 7/30/16]: A pocket version of the U.S. Constitution has become a best-seller on Amazon.com. The 52-page pamphlet printed by the National Center for Constitutional Studies sells for $1 and was in the Top 10 best-selling books on Amazon on Saturday afternoon.

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:

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:

Hurry Up and Wait [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 7/29/16]: After the conventions, the presidential race heads into the dog days.

Trump, Clinton work to appeal to voters who don’t like them [SF Chron, 7/30/16]: With the primary elections long past and the partisan cheers of July’s party conventions fading away, it’s “game on” for presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. 

Voting Trump because of the Supreme Court isn't enough [The Hill, 7/29/16]: The caller explained that, morally, she just couldn't justify voting for the Republican nominee. She said she felt like she'd be damned to hell if she did. Hewitt told her (albeit in his jocular style) that she'd go to hell if she didn't vote, before launching into what is by now a common refrain: not voting for Trump assures a more liberal Supreme Court.

Federal judge rules Wisconsin election laws largely unconstitutional
 [Jurist, 7/30/16]: A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on Friday struck down several Wisconsin election laws, passed in recent years, stating that "parts of Wisconsin's election regime fail to comply with the constitutional requirement that its elections remain fair and equally open to all qualified electors."

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

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:

Illinois governor signs landmark measure protecting high school journalists against censorship [SPLC, 7/29/16]: Illinois becomes the tenth state with a statute protecting the independence of student journalists, joining a growing nationwide movement that began with passage of the New Voices of North Dakota Act in 2015.

States' flag-burning laws unconstitutional, but persist [AP, 7/30/16]: The U.S. Supreme Court has said flag-burning is a protected form of free speech, but a central Illinois man was jailed on July 4th under an old Illinois law that still says it is illegal.

Supreme Court may be converting on religion [USA Today, 7/30/16]: till reeling from the death of its most devout justice, Antonin Scalia, the high court has put preventing discrimination above protecting religion in a series of cases over the past year, from same-sex marriage to abortion and contraception.

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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