Posts for October 24, 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:

Longtime reporter says Supreme Court is broken [Greensboro (NC.( News & Record, 10/23/16]: The U.S. Supreme Court is unlike any other branch of government -- which makes covering it a bit like reporting on Oz, said Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor at Slate who writes 'Supreme Court Dispatches' and the 'Jurisprudence' column.

http://www.greensboro.com/blogs/around_town/susan-ladd-longtime-reporter-says-supreme-court-is-broken/article_fd9a5a83-c238-5079-ab5e-6edee6610fe4.html

Three cases stymied by a Supreme Court vacancy [Constitution Daily, 10/24/16]: Lyle Denniston looks at three Supreme Court cases it accepted right before Justice Scalia’s death – and why they haven’t gotten a court date yet.

http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2016/10/three-cases-stymied-by-a-supreme-court-vacancy/

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:

First-time Latino voters look to impact presidential election [LA Daily News, 10/232/16]: Luis Marcano still remembers Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s first speech as a candidate. The Venezuela native said he found Trump disrespectful and brash. And there was also a certain resemblance that he couldn’t shake to Hugo Chavez, ex-president of Marcano’s former homeland.

http://www.dailynews.com/article/20161023/NEWS/161029751

CA120: Crunching the poll numbers, big time [Capitol Weekly, 10/23/16]: We have seen many of these publicly available surveys, but the vast majority of polling is still private – done by candidates and political action committees. The results are rarely shared with those outside a very small circle of candidates and consultants.

http://capitolweekly.net/ca120-poll-numbers-crunching-big-time/

Teachers union mobilizes to boost turnout for education-related initiatives [EdSource, 10/23/16]: With less than three weeks to go before the Nov. 8 election, the California Teachers Association this weekend mobilized teachers, elected officials and other supporters to boost voter turnout on behalf of two ballot measures — Propositions 55 and 58 — that will have a direct bearing on schools and community colleges.

https://edsource.org/2016/teachers-union-mobilizes-to-boost-turnout-for-education-related-initiatives/571096

Trump, in Gettysburg, aims to beat back assault claims [Politico, 10/22/16]: Explicitly invoking Abraham Lincoln, Donald Trump traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on Saturday with a vow to restore order and heal a divided nation – as well as to sue the dozen-odd women who have recently accused him of sexual assault. 

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/donald-trump-gettysburg-230188

Clinton Rallies in Battleground Pennsylvania [CNS, 10/24/16]: Hillary Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine kept the mood positive for the nearly 8,000 who gathered on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia just weeks before Election Day.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/10/24/clinton-rallies-in-battleground-pennsylvania.htm

Admit It. The Clinton Email Controversy Bothers You, Yet You Don’t Actually Know What the Clinton Email Controversy Is [Medium, 10/22/16]: How a poorly explained mistake continues to threaten the political career of the former Secretary of State.

https://medium.com/the-curious-civilian/admit-it-the-clinton-email-controversy-bothers-you-yet-you-dont-actually-know-what-the-clinton-511dc1659eda#.kjfkdxoza

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

Death by Another Name [The Marshall Project, 10/23/16]: California Prop 62 would repeal the death penalty. A lifer says it doesn’t go far enough.

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/10/23/death-by-another-name?ref=hp-1-112#.2vBiS5fKt

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:

Transparency: ‘Secret law’ weakens democracy [FAC, 10/20/16]: Elizabeth Goitein, in the NY Times, October 18, 2016, makes a case against ‘secret law’ enacted when, for instance, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) makes interpretations of the Patriot Act that become part of the act. 

https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2016/10/transparency-secret-law-weakens-democracy/

Free speech on the chopping block in attacks on Jewish journalists [FAC, 10/20/16]: A new report from the Anti-Defamation League reveals that during the current election season almost 800 journalists received some 19,000 anti-Semitic tweets. Ten writers received the bulk of the tweets.

https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2016/10/free-speech-chopping-block-attacks-jewish-journalists/

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: