Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Posts for August 17, 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 didn’t know there was such a thing as The American Museum of Tort Law, but here it is: https://www.tortmuseum.org/

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:

Constitution Check: Might the Second Amendment be redefined? [Constitution Daily, 8/16/16]: Lyle Denniston, Constitution Daily’s Supreme Court correspondent, looks at reasons why it seems to be a constitutional reality that the Second Amendment is not likely to go back to protecting only a collective right to have guns.
California gun case could be headed to Supreme Court [Constitution Daily, 8/16/16]: Giving no explanation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit refused on Monday to assemble all 28 of its active judges for a new review of the constitutionality of California’s main gun-control laws.  The high-stakes dispute is very likely to move on to the Supreme Court. The case to keep an eye on is Peruta v. San Diego County.

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Will Obama exonerate the Port Chicago 50? [EB Times, 8/16/16]: As President Barack Obama's time in office draws to a close, it remains unclear if he will heed calls to exonerate the African-American sailors convicted of mutiny during World War II following the deadly explosion at the Port Chicago naval munitions base.

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:

Judicial Rebellion Against Voter ID [Library of Law and Liberty blog, 8/16/16]: Like unruly schoolchildren using the presence of a substitute teacher as an opportunity to misbehave, in Veasey v. Abbott, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, has sent the jurisprudential equivalent of a spitball at the U.S. Supreme Court knowing that the deadlocked Court would probably take no corrective action.

Supreme Court stance on North Carolina law to send signal on voting limits [Reuters, 8/16/16]: The U.S. Supreme Court's handling of North Carolina's long-shot bid to reinstate its contentious voter identification law will set the tone for the court's treatment of similar cases that could reach the justices before the Nov. 8 elections.

An Attempt to Get Public Financing of Campaigns Through the Back Door [Fox&Hounds, 8/16/16]: Sen. Ben Allen’s SB 1107 wants to allow public funding of campaigns, something voters prohibited years ago. 

FBI hands over Clinton email interview summary to Congress [Politico, 8/16/16]: The FBI on Tuesday handed over to Congress classified records from its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, the latest development in the scandal that the Democratic nominee just can’t shake. 

Trump Hires Breitbart Exec in Major Campaign Shake-Up [CNS, 8/17/16]: His presidential campaign continuing to reel from a series of self-inflicted wounds, Donald Trump on Wednesday shook up his staff for the second time since the primaries ended, hiring the executive chairman of the conservative Breitbart News, and promoting a senior advisor to a new, critical role.

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

Is Taking Blood from a Dog a “Search” of the Dog’s Owner? [Justia, 8/17/16]: In light of a recent decision by the Oregon Supreme Professor Colb considers whether taking blood from a dog constitutes a search of the dog’s owner for Fourth Amendment purposes. Colb identifies good and bad features of the court’s opinion and expresses what, in her view, would have been the ideal resolution of the case.

9th Circ. Tells DOJ to Back Off in Medical Pot States [CNS / SF Chron, 8/16/16]: The Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Justice Department is barred from using federal funds to prosecute individuals in states where medical marijuana is legal and the individuals are in compliance with state law.

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:

Honk if you're an 8THEIST: how forbidden vanity plates vary by US state [The Guardian, 8/15/16]: A case settled in federal court last week will expand New Jersey's policies on vanity license plates -- but in many states, there are still a lot of taboo words.

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:

International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]

US transfers 15 Guantanamo detainees to UAE [Jurist, 8/16/16]: The US Department of Defense on Monday announced the transfer of 15 Guantanamo detainees to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Twelve of the detainees were from Yemen, and the other three were from Afghanistan. Six of the detainees had been approved for release since 2009, and the others were cleared for release more recently. 


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