Sunday, February 12, 2017

Posts for February 12, 2017
These are the posts that are accumulated in our weekly newsletter which goes out throughout the school year. The posts are organized by the major units in our Constitutional Law (5th ed.) student textbook.

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:

What Neil Gorsuch Was Trying to Tell America When He Criticized Trump [Forbes, 2/11/17]: By speaking in this manner, Gorsuch has taken the next step in what could be a titanic battle between the president and the federal judiciary over the constitutional separation of powers. The fear is that Trump might choose to ignore decisions by the federal courts if he doesn’t like what they decide.

As Trump tweets, legal community turns eyes to John Roberts [CNN, 2/11/17]: President Donald Trump's persistent and unprecedented criticisms of judges and the judiciary at large have incited outrage on both sides of the legal community and prompted some to wonder if Chief Justice John Roberts should publicly come to the defense of his robed colleagues.

Standing up for 'so-called' law [Boston Globe, 2/11/18]: Without the rule of law, we may have a “so-called” president who has in fact become a tyrant. Fundamentally, this moment is not about Trump. It is about all of us.

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]

Fixing Trump Executive Order's Legal Problems Is No Easy Task [Bloomberg, 2/11/17]: A rewrite of the travel ban would almost certainly trigger a new round of legal challenges on a topic that has riveted the nation and sparked turmoil around the globe over the past two weeks. The White House will have to make a number of changes and even then won’t have any guarantee its new approach will survive legal challenges.

Trump: Media has 'abused' Ivanka [Politico, 2/11/17]: President Donald Trump on Saturday tweeted that the media "abused" his daughter, Ivanka, likely in the aftermath of a decision by Nordstrom to drop her clothing label and an ensuing ethics controversy involving the president.

Swift repeal of Obama rules leaves former staffers steaming [Politico, 2/11/17]: Joe Pizarchik spent more than seven years working on a regulation to protect streams from mountaintop removal coal mining. It took Congress 25 hours to kill it. 

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:

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

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:

Supreme Court nominee has defended free speech, religion [AP, 2/12/17]: Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has been a defender of free speech and a skeptic of libel claims, an Associated Press review of his rulings shows. His record puts him at odds with President Donald Trump's disdain for journalists and tendency to lash out at critics.

Pipeline Inspires Spirited Debate in Rural Louisiana [CNS, 2/10/17]: About 200 protesters converged on this small village 90 minutes outside of New Orleans to raise their voices in opposition to the proposed Bayou Bridge Pipeline, an extension of the recently revived and highly controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.

 

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:

75 Years Later, Japanese-Americans Recall Incarceration, Forced Farm Labor [KQED, 2/11/17]:  When President Trump signed an executive order last month banning people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. and advocated for a Muslim registry, some of the loudest opponents were Japanese-Americans.

Feds drop request to rein in ban on Obama transgender policy [Politico, 2/11/17]: The Trump administration has found a nationwide injunction it can live with. In the slew of lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump's travel ban executive order, Justice Department lawyers have repeatedly argued that — whatever the alleged legal defects in his order — nationwide injunctions on its enforcement are improper. However, on Friday night, Justice Department attorneys handling a lawsuit over President Barack Obama's efforts to protect transgender individuals dropped an effort to temporarily rein in a nationwide injunction a Texas federal judge imposed last year. That injunction prohibited the feds from enforcing the Obama administration's view that existing civil rights laws cover discrimination against those who are transgender.

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

Mexicans Vow to Fight Trump by Jamming U.S. Courts [WSJ, 2/10/17]: Influential Mexicans are pushing an aggressive and perhaps risky strategy to fight a likely increase in deportations of their undocumented compatriots in the U.S.: jam U.S. immigration courts in hopes of causing the already overburdened system to break down.



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