Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Posts for November 29, 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 (5th ed.) student textbook.

Students can't tell fake news from real, study finds [NPR, 11/24/16]: If the children are the future, the future might be very ill-informed. That's one implication of a new study from Stanford researchers that evaluated students' ability to assess information sources and described the results as "dismaying," "bleak" and "[a] threat to democracy." 
I. Introduction to Law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court [See TOPICS 1-10 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

II. Defining the Political System: Federalism and Checks and Balances [See TOPICS 11-15 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Trump Pick for Cabinet Position Signals 'Obamacare' in Crosshairs [CNS, 11/29/16]: President-elect Donald Trump has chosen a leading critic of the federal health care law as his secretary of Health and Human Services. Rep. Tom Price, a Georgia Republican, has introduced bills in each of the past four Congresses that would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and replace it with a combination of health-savings accounts and tax credits.

The controversial legal theory that could get Trump sued [Politico, 11/29/16]: A doctrine embraced by president-elect's anti-immigration backers could be key to challenging his business conflicts.

Court Rejects Challenge to War Against Islamic State [CNS, 11/28/16]: A federal judge threw out civil claims by a U.S. Army captain who accused President Barack Obama of waging an illegal war against the Islamic State group.

III. The Political System: Voting and Campaigns [See TOPICS 16-20 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Pants On Fire for Trump's claim about 'serious voter fraud' in California [PolitiFact CA, 11/28/16]: Grabbing the attention of the Golden State, President-Elect Donald Trump claimed in a recent tweet there was "serious voter fraud" in three states won by Hillary Clinton during the General Election, including California.

Clinton team shrugs off recount effort [Politico, 11/28/16]: Hillary Clinton’s closest allies are irritated with Jill Stein. Most of the small circle of operatives and friends surrounding the vanquished Democratic nominee have no illusions that the former Green Party candidate’s recount pushes in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and maybe Michigan, will even come close to flipping the result of the presidential election.

IV. Criminal Law and Procedure (4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th amendments) [See TOPICS 21-28 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit

U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas death penalty case on intellectual disability [Texas Trib / Texas Public Radio / The Atlantic, 11/28/16]: On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding intellectual disability and executions in Moore v. Texas.

Church Shooting Suspect to Represent Himself at Federal Trial [CNS, 11/28/16]: In a move a federal judge called “unwise,” self-avowed white supremacist and suspected church shooter Dylann Roof opted to represent himself in his federal murder and hate-crimes trial.

V. 1st Amendment (Speech, Religion, Press and Assembly) [See TOPICS 29-33 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

No Damages for Teacher Over Black-Face Lesson [CNS, 11/28/16]: Christmas has come early in New Jersey after a federal judge tossed out free-speech claims by a teacher who caused a stir by talking about her Dutch family’s penchant for holiday black face.

VI. 14th Amendment, Discrimination, Privacy, Working, Citizenship & Immigration [See TOPICS 34-41 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

7th Circuit can make civil rights history for gay and lesbian employees [“On the Case” blog, 11/28/16]: Under federal law as it exists right now in the United States, gay men and lesbians can marry their partners over the weekend and can be fired the following Monday for doing so, without any recourse under the Civil Rights Act. But that may be about to change.

Bilingual Education Returns to California--Kind Of [EdLawProfs blog, 11/29/16]: For those who have taught or taken education law in recent years, you have probably touched on the seesaw history of bilingual education in our schools.  The trend of the last two decades has included the banning or limiting of bilingual education and the move toward immersion programs. 

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

New UN SG urges peacekeepers to respect human rights [Jurist, 11/28/16]: UN Secretary-General-elect Antonio Guterres said while visiting Beijing on Monday that he wants UN peacekeepers to be better trained and more respectful of human rights. Guterres stressed the need "to make sure that there is an effective combination of human rights, of the civil and political rights and the economic and social rights in a balanced way." 

Germany court upholds conviction of former Nazi officer [Jurist, 11/28/16]: The German Federal Court of Justice has upheld the conviction of former Nazi SS Officer Oskar Groening, for his role in the deaths of over 300,000 people during the Holocaust, according to court documents made public Monday. 

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