Posts for October 28, 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:

Ted Cruz's Supreme Court remark draws White House criticism [AP / CNN, 10/27/16]: Sen. Ted Cruz's suggestion of an indefinite Supreme Court vacancy under a President Hillary Clinton raises questions about the credibility and integrity of Republicans who have said the next president should get to the choose who fills the vacancy, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Thursday.

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

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/27/politics/ted-cruz-supreme-court/index.html

Clarence Thomas On Supreme Court Gridlock: Washington 'Is Broken In Some Ways' [Huff Post, 10/27/16]: The 68-year-old justice offered Republicans in Congress a lesson on how to do your job.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/clarence-thomas-supreme-court-broken_us_58120e00e4b064e1b4b0b913

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 Sets Record With 98 New Commutations [CNS, 10/27/16]: President Barack Obama on Thursday commuted the sentences of 98 people serving time in federal prisons, the latest in a string of executive actions meant to pare down sentences the president sees as unduly harsh.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/10/27/obama-sets-record-with-98-new-commutations.htm

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:

Trump’s Final Strategy to Win the White House [Justia, 10/28/16]: John W. Dean, former counsel to President Nixon, takes a close look at Donald Trump’s twofold strategy to win the election—Trump’s own electoral map, and his attempts to suppress voters. Dean argues that the only way for Trump to win is to bully his way into the White House, and Dean calls upon Democrats to prevent Trump and his supporters from using physical intimidation to suppress the vote.

https://verdict.justia.com/2016/10/28/trumps-final-strategy-win-white-house

Clinton, Trump go nuclear [Politico, 10/27/16]: In a fitting conclusion to a scorched-earth battle, the 2016 campaign is ending amid talk of a impending nuclear holocaust.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-nuclear-war-230418

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

Who could replace Paul Ryan? [Politico, 10/27/16]: The biggest name waiting in the wings is Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), a Ryan ally who made an aborted bid for the job last year. But the question marks surrounding McCarthy haven't gone away, GOP insiders say.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/paul-ryan-potential-successor-230407

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

Mormon Sect Tries to Fend Off U.S. Involvement [CNS, 10/28/16]: The federal government should allow twin towns dominated by a fundamentalist Mormon sect on the Arizona-Utah border to police themselves, despite a jury's finding that they denied police protection, water and utilities to people who do not belong to their religion, a town manager testified Thursday.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/10/28/mormon-sect-tries-to-fend-off-u-s-involvement.htm

Refuge Occupiers Skate on All Charges; Ammon Bundy's Attorney Arrested [CNS, 10/27/16]: A federal jury acquitted Ammon Bundy and six co-defendants Thursday on charges stemming from their occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The end of the trial was nearly as dramatic as the events that launched it, with federal marshals using a stun gun on and arresting Bundy's attorney after he insisted that Bundy be released, rather than held for transfer to face separate charges in Nevada.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/10/27/refuge-occupiers-skate-on-all-charges-ammon-bundys-attorney-arrested.htm

Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters Block Highway [CNS, 10/28/16]: Protesters who were ousted from a camp they established on private land in North Dakota to protest the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline are using burned vehicles to block a state highway.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/10/28/dakota-access-pipeline-protesters-block-highway.htm

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:

Court Backs Harvard in Plagiarism Challenge [Inside Higher Ed, 10/27/16]: Harvard University did not defame or breach a contract with a former law school student when it noted a plagiarism finding on her transcript, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/10/25/court-backs-harvard-plagiarism-challenge

The interesting ruling in Walker v. Hamburger can be found at:

http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/15-1154P-01A.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: