Posts for December 19, 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:

Oregon's jury system designed to 'dampen' voice of minorities, judge rules [The Oregonian, 12/17/16]: A Portland judge Thursday declined to grant a new trial to a 33-year-old African American man despite his argument that he didn't get a fair trial because only one of 12 jurors was black -- and the juror's vote ultimately didn't count.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/12/did_black_defendant_get_fair_t.html

SCOTUS Term Limits in the Next Congress [Dorf on the Law blog, 12/17/16]: News that Ted Cruz is planning on introducing a constitutional amendment on congressional term limits next month has yet to stoke the interest or imagination of liberals and progressives. That is unfortunate yet eminently fixable.

http://www.dorfonlaw.org/2016/12/scotus-term-limits-in-next-congress.html

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:

California gets ready to defy Trump's Washington [NPR, 12/17/16]: With Donald Trump set to become president next month and Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress, California's Democrats believe their state should take the lead in opposing the new administration's priorities. And they have no interest in calls for national unity. 

http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/12/17/67314/california-gets-ready-to-defy-trump-s-washington/

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

The Emoluments Clause: Its text, meaning, and application to Donald J. Trump [Brookings Institution, 12/16/16]: Foreign interference in the American political system was among the gravest dangers feared by the Founders of our nation and the Framers of our Constitution.

https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/gs_121616_emoluments-clause1.pdf

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:

The electoral college is poised to pick Trump, despite push to dump him [Wash Post, 12/19/16]: Donald Trump’s improbable-then-unstoppable run for the presidency takes its last, formal step Monday as the electoral college meets to officially seal his victory.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-electoral-college-is-poised-to-pick-trump-despite-push-to-dump-him/2016/12/19/75265c16-c58f-11e6-85b5-76616a33048d_story.html

The Electoral College Votes Today. But Politicians Have Been Trying to Reform It for Decades [TIME, 12/19/16]: The casting of votes by presidential electors has not often, in modern American history, been a newsworthy moment. But 2016 is proving to be an unusual year. 

http://time.com/4597833/electoral-college-donald-trump-challenge/

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory Signs Bill Limiting Democratic Successor's Powers [NBC News / Raleigh (NC) News & Observer, 12/16/16]: Outgoing North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has signed a measure limiting the powers of his soon-to-be Democratic successor, Roy Cooper, a move critics are calling an unprecedented power grab orchestrated by the state's Republican-controlled legislature.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/north-carolina-gov-pat-mccrory-signs-bill-limiting-democratic-successor-n697101

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article121449157.html

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

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

Supreme Court To Return To 1984 Case Involving Prosecutor Misconduct [NPR, 12/17/16]: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving a notorious 1984 murder in Washington, DC. The key issue involves whether prosecutors failed to turn over favorable evidence to the defendants.

http://www.npr.org/2016/12/17/505965413/supreme-court-to-return-to-1984-case-involving-prosecutor-misconduct

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:

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:

Court is asked to expand protections for gays, lesbians [Atlanta J-C 12/15/16]: The federal appeals court in Atlanta was asked Thursday to do something it's never done before -- rule that gays and lesbians cannot be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

http://www.myajc.com/news/local/court-asked-expand-protections-for-gays-lesbians/xGemJh0Go4XHgeUp64gsOO/