Posts for September 25, 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.

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:

Trump's supreme court picks: from Tea Party senator to anti-abortion crusade [The Guardian / The Atlantic, 9/24/16]: Among 10 new names, one is an originalist, one a judicial traditionalist . . . and one said firing a hygienist for 'tempting' a dentist was not unlawful discrimination.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2016/sep/24/donald-trump-supreme-court-nominations-names

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/trump-cruz-supreme-court/501461/

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:

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Obama vetoes 9/11 bill allowing suit against Saudi Arabia [Jurist, 9/24/16]: President Obama on Friday vetoed a bill that would have allowed 9/11 victims and their families to sue Saudi Arabia, citing concerns that it would open US diplomats and servicemen to suit abroad. Congress overwhelmingly approved the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) earlier this year, with support from both parties for the bill that would allow federal suits against foreign nations determined to have had a hand in terror acts.

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2016/09/obama-vetoes-911-bill-allowing-suit-against-saudi-arabia.php

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:

Bring on the Ballot Selfies! [Slate, 9/24/16]: Why snapping a photo in the voting booth is good for democracy.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/09/voting_booth_ballot_selfie_bans_violate_the_first_amendment.html

Poll: Trump closing gap in Pennsylvania [Politico, 9/24/16]: Just two days before the first presidential debate, Donald Trump is narrowing the gap with Hillary Clinton in the key state of Pennsylvania, a new Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll released Saturday shows.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/swing-states-2016-election/2016/09/poll-trump-closing-gap-in-pennsylvania-228627

Meet the daughter of migrant workers helping Clinton defeat Trump [McClatchy DC, 9/24/16]: It’s a long way from California’s Central Valley, where Amanda Renteria’s parents once toiled as migrant workers, to the political beehive in Brooklyn that serves as headquarters for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Their daughter is the Democratic candidate’s highest-ranking Hispanic staffer in an effort that has become – for her – personal as much as it is political. 

http://www.sacbee.com/news/article103706962.html

Arizona Deadlines Not Unfair to Third Parties [CNS, 9/23/16]: In Arizona, if a party does not win at least five percent of the vote in the previous general election, it can gain state recognition by acquiring a certain number of qualified signatures 180 days before the upcoming primary.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/09/23/arizona-deadlines-not-unfair-to-third-parties.htm

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

Brown Signs Bill Making CPR Training A Requirement For High School Graduation [CPR, 9/24/16]:  The CPR in Schools legislation would require schools to teach students hands-on CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator. The law will go into effect during the 2018-2019 school year.

http://www.capradio.org/82269

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

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:

U.S. Supreme Court has reasons to duck transgender rights fight [Reuters, 9/25/16]: The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide within weeks whether to hear a major transgender rights case for the first time, a dispute involving which bathroom a Virginia high school student can use, but the justices have reasons to duck the issue.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-transgender-idUSKCN11V0GE

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

War Crimes Tribunal for Islamic State Detainees Lacks Support [CNS, 9/25/16]: War crimes investigators collecting evidence of the Islamic State group's elaborate operation to kidnap thousands of women as sex slaves say they have a case to try IS leaders with crimes against humanity but cannot get the global backing to bring current detainees before an international tribunal.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/09/25/war-crimes-tribunal-for-islamic-state-detainees-lacks-support.htm