Friday, September 2, 2016

Posts for September 2, 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:

Arizona to vote on legalizing recreational marijuana following court decision [Jurist, 9/1/16]: The Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the final challenge to a voter initiated act to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. 

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Constitution Check: Is the Obama immigration policy stalled nationwide? [Constitution Daily, 9/1/16]: Lyle Denniston, our Supreme Court correspondent, look at a lawsuit that claims a federal judge’s ban on President Obama’s immigration policies shouldn’t apply nationwide.

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:


National poll: Clinton up 7 points on Trump [Politico, 9/1/16]: Hillary Clinton holds a 7 percentage-point head-to-head advantage over Donald Trump in the latest national Suffolk University/USA Today poll out Thursday, leading by the same margin in a four-way matchup as well. 

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

Capitol Roundup: California Legislature's Final Day (And Night) Of Session [CPR / KQED, 9/1/16]: The California Legislature has adjourned for the year, but not before a flurry of action on Wednesday, the final day of session. Lawmakers passed bills to require the installation of water sub-meters in new apartment and condo buildings and create a state-run retirement program for private-sector workers.

California lawmakers deliver for liberals on climate, wages [AP, 8/1/16]: California delivered on its reputation as a testing ground for liberal ideas as state lawmakers wrapped up a legislative session that extended the nation's most ambitious climate change programs, raised the minimum wage to $15 and toughened gun laws.

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

Seeking to Criminalize the Clinton Foundation—A Footnote [Justia, 9/2/16]: John Dean argues that comparisons between former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton are inapt. Dean points out several ways in which Hillary’s behavior did not rise even to the level of that of McDonnell, and the U.S. Supreme Court found that even the latter did not support conviction.

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:

America's New Lesson in Tolerance [The Atlantic, 9/1/16]: What one of the Supreme Court's most humiliating mistakes tells us about the debate over Colin Kaepernick's national-anthem protest.

The Supreme Court's First Amendment problem [Yale Alumni Magazine, Sept/Oct. 2016]: Yale Law School dean Robert Post '77JD is trying to sort out the court's position on free speech.

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:

Appeals Court Backs Discipline of Student for Off-Campus Harassment [School Law Blog, 9/1/16]: The court holds that a 7th-grader's sexual harassment of two younger students in a park adjacent to their school was not protected off-campus speech.
Read the interesting 9th Circuit decision in C.R. v. Eugene School Dist. 4J at:

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

All Immigrants Deserve a Court Hearing. Period. [Bloomberg View, 8/31/16]: Do undocumented mothers and children who are caught just after they’ve entered the country illegally deserve judicial review after immigration officials have decided they don’t qualify for asylum? If you’re a foreigner denied access to the U.S., you have no right to a court hearing. If you’ve been in the country for a while, even illegally, you’re entitled to face a federal judge before being deported. But there's a constitutional gray area that applies to undocumented immigrants who are caught within two weeks of entering the country or within 100 miles of the border.

Genocide in Syria: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Cares? [Newseum, 9/1/16]: The Syrian government targets and kills its own citizens based on their ethnic, religious or political background. According to international observers and reporters, the Bashar Assad regime conducts mass killings, murders civilians using barrel bombs and chemical weapons, destroys hospitals and blocks humanitarian aid. 

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