Posts for August 4, 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:
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 Commutes Sentences of 9
Californians in Federal Prison [Patch, 8/3/16]: President Barack
Obama shortened the sentences of 214 people Wednesday, the most commutations in
a single day since at least 1900. Nearly all were serving sentences for
nonviolent drug crimes, and 67 people were serving life sentences.
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 sense of panic is rising' among Republicans over
Trump, including talk of what to do if he quits [Politico / McClatchy
DC, 8/3/16]: Donald Trump’s relations with the Republican Party – and his
political fortunes – worsened dramatically Wednesday, as party leaders fretted
openly about the inability of his campaign staff to control him and even began
to discuss what to do if their unpredictable nominee suddenly quit the race.
How Donald Trump, defender of political incorrectness, is
blowing a loud racial dog whistle on voter ID [Wash Post, 8/3/16]:
Somewhere in the midst of one of the most unusual 72-hour stretches in American
presidential politics, Donald Trump took the time to tell a crowd gathered at
an Ohio rally, Fox News viewers and The Post that a recent string of court
decisions overturning or rolling back voter-ID laws in North Carolina,
Wisconsin and Kansas were "scary."
Hanging Tough
[Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 8/4/16]: Why we’ve made only minor changes to our
Electoral College ratings since March.
The Convention Aftermath: Clinton Bounces Higher than
Trump [Sabato’s Crystal Ball,
8/4/16]: Trump’s median poll result rose three points, from 41% in the week
before the Republican National Convention to a peak of 44% in each of the first
few days after the GOP confab. However, thus far, Clinton’s median survey
number has improved from 44% prior to the Democratic National Convention to a
high of 48.5%.
Fox national poll: Clinton up 10 over Trump [Politico,
8/3/16]: Hillary Clinton’s post-convention bounce and Donald Trump’s rough week
have combined to deliver the former secretary of state a double-digit lead in a
fresh poll released Wednesday evening.
Dear Hillary: How Very Dare You! [“Social Justice
for All” blog, 8/1/16]: Where does this
seemingly irrational antipathy for Hillary Clinton come from?
https://hulshofschmidt.wordpress.com/2016/08/01/dear-hillary-how-very-dare-you
Meg Whitman, Calling Donald Trump a ‘Demagogue,’ Will
Support Hillary Clinton for President [KQED, 8/3/16]: Meg Whitman, a
Hewlett Packard executive and Republican fund-raiser, said Tuesday that she
would support Hillary Clinton for president and give a “substantial”
contribution to her campaign in order to stop Donald J. Trump, whom she berated
as a threat to American democracy.
Election Law Ground Wars Underway in Federal Court
[Roll Call, 8/3/16]: Decisions on photo ID,
polling locations and registration could affect turnout.
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:
Republicans,
Democrats and the Stakes for Religious Freedom [Charlie
Haynes of the Newseum, 8/4/16]: Like motherhood and apple pie, religious
freedom is universally popular with members of both major parties. But you
don’t have to read far in the party platforms to discover that Republican and
Democratic definitions of religious freedom could not be farther apart in
meaning and application.
What Do the Satanic
Temple and Jehovah’s Witnesses Have in Common? They Are Champions Against
Government Inculcation of Belief [Justia, 8/4/16]: Professor Hamilton explains how the Satanic Temple is fighting the same
fight Jehovah’s Witnesses started—to keep the government from imposing tenets
of any specific religion on all citizens despite their faith. Hamilton
describes the history of this issue in the United States and discusses the
current lawsuit involving the Satanic Temple.
Street preacher's
lawsuit alleges Santa Cruz violates his free speech [SJ Merc, 8/4/16]: A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday seeks to allow a
Pleasanton man to resume preaching on a public street after he was ticketed
three times for noise complaints and had his amplified speech permit revoked by
Santa Cruz police.
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:
Supreme Court blocks
transgender victory on bathrooms [USA Today, 8/4/16]: The
supreme court on Wednesday blocked a court order giving a transgender student
access to the boys' bathroom at his Virginia high school, in what is the high
court's first ruling on an increasingly contentious topic. The
order is not a ruling on the eventual outcome of the case itself, nor is it a
definitive statement on whether the Supreme Court will even hear the school
board’s appeal.
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