Posts for October 14, 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.

CRF Bill of Rights in Action Fall 2016 available [CRF, 10/13/16]: This is a great resource.

http://www.crf-usa.org/images/pdf/members/BRIA_web_32_1.pdf

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:

Race bias in the jury room: what's the solution? [Constitution Daily, 10/14/16]: Lyle Denniston, Constitution Daily’s Supreme Court correspondent, looks at a Supreme Court case about racial bias expressed within the secret confines of a jury deliberation.

http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2016/10/race-bias-in-the-jury-room-whats-the-solution/

SCOTUS: The Dangerous Empty Seat [TIME, 10/13/16]: 'The future of the Supreme Court is at stake on Nov. 8.’

http://time.com/4527449/2016-election-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:

In major decision, 10th Circuit rules Wyoming can't force BLM to remove wild horses [Casper (WY.) Star Tribune, 10/11/16]: A federal appeals court ruling Tuesday bolstered the Bureau of Land Management’s discretion in dealing with wild horse populations by dismissing a case brought by the state of Wyoming against the agency.

http://trib.com/lifestyles/recreation/in-major-decision-th-circuit-rules-wyoming-can-t-force/article_0a3c5700-e59e-520e-aa91-c053b3c0f7d5.html

An independent U.S. agency's independence gets it into trouble [Constitution Daily / Volokh Conspiracy, 10/13/16]: Lyle Denniston, Constitution Daily’s Supreme Court correspondent, examines what could be one of the most consequential decisions of modern times on the structure of the federal government.

http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2016/10/an-independent-u-s-agencys-independence-gets-it-into-trouble/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/10/11/d-c-circuit-buries-supreme-court-precedent/?utm_term=.ddb11d83c0d6

Duel between California and Obama administration over education continues [EdSource, 10/13/16]: The long-running battle between California and the federal government over the direction of state education policy continues, despite passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the new federal education law that delegates far more decision-making powers to local school districts than its much-maligned predecessor, the No Child Left Behind law.

https://edsource.org/2016/duel-between-california-and-obama-administration-over-education-continues/570332

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

First Lady Michelle Obama live in Manchester, New Hampshire [YouTube, 10/13/16]: What a campaign speech by Mrs. Obama. She comes on at about 25:00 of the video. “The measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls.” The speech goes for about 27 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ45VLgbe_E

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:

Balz: Two speeches in two hours crystallize the state of Campaign 2016 [Wash Post, 10/13/16]: Two speeches. Two Americas. A pair of apocalyptic arguments and one call to burn down the house. That’s the summation from just two remarkable hours Thursday that crystallized the final month of Campaign 2016. In back-to-back appearances, in what might be the two most compelling hours of the entire election, Michelle Obama in New Hampshire and Donald Trump in Florida delivered the fiercest, most provocative and hardest-hitting speeches of an election cycle that has been without precedent in hot rhetoric.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/two-speeches-in-two-hours-crystallized-the-state-of-campaign-2016/2016/10/13/a7931cbc-9177-11e6-9c52-0b10449e33c4_story.html

Why the Supreme Court Matters More to Republicans than Trump [the Atlantic, 10/14/16]: Conservative justices might be the party's final bulwark against a changing electoral landscape.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/10/why-the-supreme-court-matters-more-to-republicans-than-trump/504038/

How Red States Turn Blue (and Vice Versa) [NY Times, 10/13/16]: Politics can change more radically and rapidly than we often assume. This year’s titanic struggle of an election, in particular, could accelerate change. In the simplest terms, Donald Trump may fare better in the Northeast and industrial Midwest than other recent Republican nominees, while Hillary Clinton may do better in the deep South, the Southwest and the Great Plains.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/13/opinion/campaign-stops/how-red-states-turn-blue-and-vice-versa.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0

Why My East Texas Neighbors are Voting for Trump [Texas Observer, 10/11/16]: Joe Lansdale is right on the chile, as they might say. It’s not because they’re stupid rednecks. Voting for Trump is about being part of a large reality show. Really.

https://www.texasobserver.org/east-texas-trump-voters-lansdale/

Ryan sounds alarm on Trump [Politico, 10/13/16]: Speaker Paul Ryan told top donors on Wednesday evening that he’s growing concerned about whether House Republicans will be able to weather the political storm this November — and suggested the outcome for his party could be dire.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/paul-ryan-donald-trump-house-republicans-229716

“Prison for Hillary” [Justia, 10/14/16]: John W. Dean, former counsel to President Nixon, comments on Donald Trump’s recent calls for the imprisonment of Hillary Clinton. Dean points out that jailing political opponents is a tactic of dictators, not democracies.

https://verdict.justia.com/2016/10/14/prison-for-hillary

Fact-checking claims about California’s ballot measures [KPCC, 10/13/16]: PolitiFact California has fact-checked claims about many of the state’s most controversial ballot measures, from Prop 64’s effort to legalize marijuana to Prop 62’s proposal to abolish the death penalty to Prop 60’s condom requirement in adult films.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/10/13/65585/politifact-california-fact-checking-claims-about-c/

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

The Supreme Court Debates Juror Bias [Slate, 10/12/16]: And Samuel Alito complains about oversensitive PC college students.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/supreme_court_dispatches/2016/10/samuel_alito_is_more_worried_about_pc_run_amok_than_a_blatantly_racist_jury.html

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:

Satanic Temple withdraws request to start after school club at Washington state elementary school [NSBA Legal Clips, 10/13/16]: The Satanic Temple of Seattle has withdrawn its request to start an “After School Satan Club” at Centennial Elementary School.

http://legalclips.nsba.org/2016/10/13/satanic-temple-withdraws-request-to-start-after-school-club-at-washington-state-elementary-school/

Maryland’s new law protecting student journalists from censorship takes effect [NSBA Legal Clips / SPLC, 10/13/16]: The Student Press Law Center has issued a press release announcing that Maryland’s new law, Senate Bill 764 (SB 764), which extends protection to student journalists and journalism teachers from institutional censorship and retaliation took effect on October 1, 2016. 

http://legalclips.nsba.org/2016/10/13/marylands-new-law-protecting-student-journalists-from-censorship-takes-effect/

http://www.splc.org/blog/splc/2016/10/maryland-new-voices-takes-effect

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:

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

New hope for undocumented immigrants: DAPA might not be dead -- a bold legal strategy could protect millions from deportation [Salon, 10/13/16]: A series of legal end runs may succeed in restoring Obama's protections for millions of undocumented immigrants.

http://www.salon.com/2016/10/13/new-hope-for-undocumented-immigrants-dapa-might-not-be-dead-a-bold-legal-strategy-could-protect-millions-from-deportation/