Posts for February 14, 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.
Trump’s gift to teachers: students eager to discuss
government [SJ Merc, 2/12/17]: Donald Trump and his new administration
have handed Bay Area teachers from all sides of the political spectrum an
unexpected gift: a bounty of topics and a crop of students suddenly clamoring
to talk about government and politics.
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:
Neil Gorsuch Has Gay
Friends. Who Cares? [Slate, 2/13/17]: On Saturday, the New
York Times published a very strange story by Sheryl Gay Stolberg titled “Gorsuch Not Easy to
Pigeonhole on Gay Rights, Friends Say.
Increased Senate Partisanship Threatens Future of US
Supreme Court [“Upon Further Review”
Installment from The Legal Intelligencer, 2/14/17]: “Supreme Court
justices will need to become even more politically calculating when deciding
whether the right time to retire has arrived. That, to me, is the most
unfortunate aspect of where we find ourselves today. Gorsuch is an
unquestionably qualified, even stellar, candidate for the Supreme Court.
Nonetheless, his confirmation threatens to be the one that formally destroys
all that we hold dear about the judicial system of the United States.”
'SEE YOU IN COURT' [“Amicus” podcast at Slate, 2/13/17]: A deep dive into the 9th Circuit's
ruling on President Trump's immigration restrictions.
Virginia
Judge Behind Latest Travel Ban Stay [Trial Insider, 2/13/18]: U.S.
District Judge Leonie Brinkema’s decision Monday to block the Trump
Administration travel ban is important, at least in part, because she is a
judge who has handled plenty of terrorism-related cases, including prosecution
of a 9/11 terrorist.
On anniversary of Scalia's
death, will his legacy live on in Neil Gorsuch? [USA Today, 2/13/17]: If he is confirmed by the Senate, Gorsuch, 49, will
represent the first generation of Supreme Court justices to have been
influenced by Scalia's rulings, writings and teachings while still in law
school. He was chosen by President Trump in part because he is in the mold of Scalia, as lawyers who
served as law clerks to both judges attest.
Justice Thurgood Marshall's Legacy [C-SPAN, 12/14/16]: Former law clerks to Supreme
Court Justice Thurgood Marshall spoke about his legacy.
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:
What Women are Not
Getting for Valentine’s Day This Year: Access to Reproductive Health Care Under
the Trump Administration [Justia, 2/14/17]: Professor Grossman
discusses the grave risks to women’s health under the Trump Administration,
both within the United States and worldwide. Grossman explains the
unprecedented breadth of President Trump’s executive order reinstating what is
known as the “global gag rule” and vastly expanding its scope.
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
An Encouraging First
Victory Over Trumpery [New Yorker, 2/10/17]: When you get down to
it, Trumpism is about three things: economic protectionism, American nativism,
and creeping authoritarianism.
Trump Knew for Weeks That Flynn Had Not Told Truth [NY
Times, 2/14/17]: President Trump was informed more than two weeks ago that his
national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, had not told the truth about his
interactions with Russia’s ambassador, and the president eventually asked for
Mr. Flynn’s resignation after concluding he could not be trusted, the White
House said on Tuesday.
Is Trump finished? [Eric Posner blog, 2/14/17]: Not yet. But it’s hard to see how Trump can last even
one term unless his top advisers take away his phone, lock him in a closet, and
let him out only for carefully scripted ceremonies which are taped so that they
can be edited before broadcast to the public.
Upheaval is now standard operating procedure inside the
White House [Wash Post, 2/13/17]: With President Trump in his fourth
full week in office, the upheaval inside the administration that West Wing
officials had optimistically dismissed as growing pains is now embedding itself
as standard operating procedure.
Oprah gives tape with Puzder abuse allegations to Senate [Politico,
2/13/17]: Senators in both parties have viewed an episode of "The Oprah
Winfrey Show" in which President Donald Trump's Labor Secretary nominee
Andrew Puzder's former wife leveled allegations of physical abuse against him,
according to sources familiar with the matter.
Mar-a-Lago Member Posts Photo with ‘Nuclear Football’
Aide [Politico, 2/13/17]: Richard DeAgazio, who was at Mar-a-Lago on
Saturday night when Trump hosted a dinner for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe, posted photos on his Facebook with a man identified as “Rick,” who carries
the President's Emergency Satchel, which has launch codes for nuclear missiles.
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:
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
Bill promotes diverse cultural dress at commencement [Cabinet Report, 2/14/17]: In yet
another expression of California independence from national norms, high school
seniors will be given formal freedom of expression in their dress during
graduation ceremonies, under a new bill pending in the Assembly.
Big Oil’s Grip on California [The Nation,
2/13/17]: In America’s greenest state, the industry has spent $122 million in
the past six years to shape regulation and legislation. It wins more than you
think.
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:
How Trump avoided being asked about his embattled
national security adviser [McClatchy DC / FAC, 2/13/17]: Since he was sworn
into office, President Donald Trump has selected reporters from conservative or
friendly media outlets to ask him questions at his news conferences, a pattern
that appears aimed at least in part at avoiding touchy subjects.
Questions about
Murdock influence on Wall Street Journal in covering Trump [FAC, 2/14/17]: Early expectations that Rupert Murdock would defang
the Wall Street Journal came to naught, but as President Donald Trump took
office, suspicions have emerged that Murdock is courting Trump by restricting
the Journal to cup cake coverage.
Iowa State University
loses appeal in marijuana T-shirt case [AP / CNS, 2/13/17]: Iowa State University has lost an appeal in a federal free speech
lawsuit that affirms student rights regardless of political viewpoint.
The
10th Circuit ruling in Gerlich
v. Leath can be found at:
http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/17/02/161518P.pdf
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:
Trans Students'
Bathroom Rights: Will DeVos & Sessions Follow Candidate Trump's Common
Sense? Not Likely by Diane Klein
[EdLawProfs Blog, 2/14/17]: The
most challenging part of the school day shouldn't be figuring out where to go
to the bathroom - or whether one can safely do so anywhere at all. But
thanks to the first act of our new Attorney General, those states that would
deprive trans students of safe access to appropriate bathroom facilities will
face no objection from a Trump DOE or DOJ.
No comments:
Post a Comment