Posts for October 11, 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:

OT2016 #2: 'The Worst Part About Being a Supreme Court Justice [First Mondays podcast, 10/10/16]: This week on First Mondays, Ian and Dan dive right into Justice Breyer's exotic theories about Kim Kardashian. We also review the music of The Slants, who will be featured in the upcoming Lee v. Tam (4:00), and discuss the potential for Missouri to switch sides in the major Establishment Clause case, Trinity Lutheran.

http://www.firstmondays.fm/episodes/2016/10/10/ot2016-2-the-worst-part-about-being-a-supreme-court-justice

Justices weigh dispute over racial bias in jury room [AP, 10/10/16]: There was nothing subtle about the ethnic slurs a juror in Colorado is reported to have made during deliberations over a Hispanic defendant charged with inappropriately touching teenage girls. Two other jurors claim their colleague determined that defendant Miguel Angel Pena Rodriguez was guilty because Pena Rodriguez is "Mexican, and Mexican men take whatever they want."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_JURY_SECRECY

A New Era for the Supreme Court [The American Prospect, 10/10/16]: The transformative potential of a shift in even one seat.

http://prospect.org/article/new-era-supreme-court

Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Trump, Kaepernick and her lifelong love of the law [Yahoo News TIME, 10/10/16]: They don’t call her the “Notorious RBG” for nothing.

https://www.yahoo.com/katiecouric/ruth-bader-ginsburg-on-trump-kaepernick-and-her-lifelong-love-of-the-law-132236633.html

http://time.com/ruth-bader-ginsburg-supreme-court/

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:

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:

Clinton Jumps to Big Lead After Trump Tape Reveal [CNS, 10/10/16]: Hillary Clinton has jumped to a double-digit lead in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted after the revelation of tapes of Donald Trump's vulgar comments about women in 2005. The poll was conducted on Saturday and Sunday, but before the second presidential debate Sunday night.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/10/10/clinton-jumps-to-big-lead-after-trump-tape-reveal.htm

Battle of the Sexist: The Implicit, Explicit, and Unrelenting Bias of Trump’s Presidential Campaign [Justia, 10/11/16]: Professors Grossman and McClain discuss the sexism that pervades Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. They comment not only on the presidential debates, but also on the bigger question whether (and how) a woman can be perceived as “presidential.”

https://verdict.justia.com/2016/10/11/battle-sexist-implicit-explicit-unrelenting-bias-trumps-presidential-campaign

GOP tumbles toward anarchy as Ryan snubs Trump [AP, 10/11/16]: House Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s decision to no longer stump for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump prompted biting condemnations from within his caucus and from Trump himself. It also destroyed any semblance of party unity behind a nominee whom many Republican leaders said they could no longer stomach because of his character traits and tawdry campaign tactics.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0f45c1b7d08b421a94cb09fcb7d8ebd8/tensions-flare-republicans-clash-over-trump

Southern California Republican politicians are still backing Trump [LA Daily News, 10/10/16]:  With one exception, Republican elected officials and candidates in Southern California continue to stand by Donald Trump despite his comments about women in 2005 that were widely condemned as boasting about sexual assault.

http://www.dailynews.com/article/20161010/NEWS/161019943

Hillary Clinton Has A Vision For The Supreme Court, And It Looks Like Sonia Sotomayor [Huff Post, 10/10/16]: Meanwhile, President Barack Obama's nominee to the high court only got a passing mention, and not even by name.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-supreme-court-sotomayor_us_57fafd7de4b0b6a4303369c4

Post Un-Presidential Debate Wisdom [Fox & Hounds, 10/10/16]: There’s an ancient Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.” And we do. This is an election season as brutal, polarized, nasty (and vulgar) as any we’ve ever seen. The second presidential debate is a case in point.

http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2016/10/post-un-presidential-debate-wisdom/

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:

No Dreadlocks for You [Slate, 10/10/16]: Why banning dreads at work isn't racially discriminatory, even if it should be illegal.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2016/10/banning_dreadlocks_at_work_isn_t_racist_but_it_should_be_illegal.html

The 11^th Circuit case, EEOC v. Catastrophic Management Solutions, can be found at:

http://www.law.uh.edu/faculty/rturner/employer/EEOC.pdf

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:

Subtle Age Discrimination Gets a Court's Blessing [Bloomberg, 10/10/16]: A company puts out word that it’s hiring: recent college graduates only, no experienced salespeople need apply. That’s age discrimination, right? Not according to a ruling from a federal appeals court last week.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-10-09/subtle-age-discrimination-gets-a-court-s-blessing

The 11^th Circuit decision in Villarreal v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., can be found at:

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201510602.enb.pdf