Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Posts for February 21, 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.

Why Facts Don't Change Our Minds: New discoveries about the human mind show the limitations of reason [New Yorker, 2/20/17]: “Once formed,” the researchers observed dryly, “impressions are remarkably perseverant.”

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:

Trump Travel Ban Awaits as High Court Hears Border-Shooting Case [Bloomberg / Houston Chron / Huff Post, 2/21/17]: U.S. Supreme Court justices may offer a preview of how they would approach President Donald Trump’s travel ban when they take up a case involving a shooting across the Mexican border. The high court on Tuesday will hear an appeal from the parents of Sergio Hernandez, a Mexican teenager who was shot to death by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in 2010.

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 to roll back Obama’s climate, water rules through executive action [Wash Post, 2/20/17]: While both directives will take time to implement, they will send an unmistakable signal that the new administration is determined to promote fossil-fuel production and economic activity even when those activities collide with some environmental safeguards. 

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:

CA120: The lowdown on California’s election [Capitol Weekly, 2/20/17]: Immediately after the 2016 general election, there were a number of people and organizations who made quick analyses of the electorate to explain what happened. 

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

Calif. Lawmaker Crafts State-Run Health Care Plan [CNS, 2/17/17]: Reviving contentious health care reforms that have failed in the past, a California lawmaker on Friday said he’s seeking to establish a statewide single-payer health care system.


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

Trump’s First Roundup [The Marshall Project, 2/20/17]: What we learned from that surge of immigrant arrests.

ACLU sues San Diego police over how it collects DNA from juveniles [SD Union-Trib, 2/20/17]: A black teenager who was stopped by police last year while walking through a San Diego park is challenging the Police Department’s policies and practices for obtaining DNA from minors without first notifying a parent. 

The Opposite of Sanctuary [The Marshall Project, 2/20/17]: Where the local lawmen serve as immigration enforcers.

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:

#NotMyPresidentsDay: About 1,000 protestors show up for anti-Trump rally in LA [KPCC / LA Daily News,, 2/20/17]: About 1,000 protesters took to the steps of Los Angeles City Hall Monday to air a range of grievances against President Donald Trump, joining similar rallies in Chicago, New York, Denver and Washington, D.C., that sought to rebrand the federal holiday as “Not My President's Day.” 

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:

Teen suicide attempts fell as same-sex marriage became legal [AP, 2/20/17]: Teen suicide attempts in the U.S. declined after same-sex marriage became legal and the biggest impact was among gay, lesbian and bisexual kids, a study found.

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

Trump takes new immigration fight to 9th Circuit [Politico, 2/20/17]: The Trump administration is taking another immigration policy fight to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, less than two weeks after that court delivered a stinging rebuff to President Donald Trump's travel ban executive order. The latest battle is over the rights of detained immigrant children and teenagers to immigration court hearings to determine suitability for release on bond.

Revised Trump executive order may ditch indefinite ban on Syrian refugees [Politico, 2/20/17]: The Trump administration is considering dropping an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees in a revised executive order on immigration that the president is expected to release this week, according to a source briefed on drafts of the plans.

No comments:

Post a Comment