Posts for March 1, 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:
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:
Judicial originalism as myth
[Vox, 2/27/17]: The doctrine of originalism,
whereby judges purport to identify and then rely on the original meaning of the
United States Constitution to resolve constitutional cases, is more ingrained
in our national consciousness today than at any other time in our
history.
An Oklahoma Bill
Would Require a Father’s Consent for Abortion [Justia, 3/1/17]: Professor Colb comments on a bill currently under consideration
by the Oklahoma legislature that would require a woman who wants to have an
abortion to first obtain the written consent of the father of the pregnancy.
Colb argues that not only is the bill plainly unconstitutional, but it is also
outright misogynistic.
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Calling For 'Renewal
Of The American Spirit,' Trump Outlines His Vision [NPR, 2/28/17]: Tuesday night, President Trump hit the reset button. In his
address to a joint session of Congress, he outlined
his vision for a “renewal of the American spirit.” Trump avoided
familiar campaign-like riffs and distanced himself from the bleak outlook of
his inaugural address. Covering a wide range of topics, the president discussed
national security, health care, immigration and infrastructure – though he did
not offer many details.
Trump's Address To
Joint Session Of Congress, Annotated [NPR, 2/28/17]: Journalists across NPR have annotated his full
remarks.
Democratic Response
To Trump's Address To Congress, Annotated [NPR, 2/28/17]:
Was this the Trump that could win in 2020? [Politico,
3/1/17]: President Donald Trump cleared a low bar: He read proficiently off a
teleprompter, he looked human as he spurred long applause for the widow of the
Navy SEAL killed in the raid he ordered, he didn’t get into a shouting match
with any Democrats or slip off into a rant about reporters as the enemy of the
people.
Orange County Republican leaders applaud Trump's speech
to Congress / Dems watch warily [OC Register, 3/1/17]: Orange County’s
top Republicans gave President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress glowing
reviews, with House members saying they’ll push the administration agenda
forward and others applauding the commander in chief’s delivery.
Transcript of
President Donald Trump's 2017 address to a joint session of Congress [SF
Chron, 2/28/17]:
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/FULL-Transcript-President-Donald-Trump-speech-17-10967127.php
AP Fact Check: Trump takes credit he hasn't earned [AP,
2/28/17]: President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday night about corporate job
expansion and military cost-savings that actually took root under his
predecessor and gave a one-sided account of the costs and benefits to the
economy from immigration — ignoring the upside.
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:
Supreme Court mainly rules for black voters in Virginia case
[AP, 3/1/17]: The Supreme Court is mainly ruling for African-Americans in
Virginia who say lawmakers packed 12 legislative districts with black voters to
make other districts whiter and more Republican. The justices said Wednesday
that a lower court that upheld the 12 districts used the wrong legal standard
when it determined that race did not play too large a role in creating the
districts.
The opinion(s) of the court in Bethune-Hill v. Virginia
State Bd. of Elections
can be found here:
Trump sticks to his themes and expects Congress to go
along [SF Chron, 2/28/17]: Saying “the time for small thinking is
over,” President Trump called Tuesday for dramatic changes in immigration,
education and health care, arguing that “Democrats and Republicans should get
together and unite for the good of our country.”
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
Republicans near make-or-break moment on Obamacare repeal [Politico.
2/28/17]: Republicans are having a break-the-glass moment on Obamacare. After
promising for years to upend the Democratic health care law the first chance
they got — and with plans to hold a vote to repeal by early April — the party
remains far from consensus.
Lawmakers support creating task force to study impaired
driving by marijuana users [LA Times, 2/28/17]: The California Highway
Patrol would form a task force to develop methods for identifying when drivers
are impaired by marijuana or prescription drugs, under legislation that moved
forward on Tuesday.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-201702-htmlstory.html
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
Department of Justification [NY Times Mag, 2/28/17]: Stephen Bannon and Jeff
Sessions, the new attorney general, have long shared a vision for remaking
America. Now the nation's top law-enforcement agency can serve as a tool for
enacting it.
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:
What Press Freedom Means
When You Can Just Press 'Tweet' [Bloomberg, 2/28/17]: The ubiquity of social media in politics is only the
most superficial aspect of how new forms of publishing are challenging the
First Amendment. In areas such as campaign finance and libel law, it’s a
different legal ballgame than it was just a few years ago -- and the changes
can be expected to multiply with time.
Excluding journalists from White House briefings poses
First Amendment issues [FAC,
2/28/17]: First Amendment advocates were
concerned about the Trump administration’s move to bar several reporters from
an off-camera White House briefing.
Nursing student challenges expulsion for Facebook comments [Concurring Opinions, 2/28/17]: The case is Keefe v. Adams. It
involves Craig Keefe. According to a story by David Hanners in the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, Mr. Keefe was a “semester away from
finishing his studies to be a registered nurse.
Religion Probed at
Hearing on Dakota Access Pipeline [CNS,
2/28/17]: Attorneys sparred in court Tuesday about a Native American tribe’s
religious objections to the oil pipeline being built by Dakota Access under a
lake used for tribal rituals.
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:
Texas Supreme Court not
lacking for input on gay marriage case [Austin American Statesman, 2/28/17]: As its judges prepare to hear arguments on efforts to limit the federal
ruling allowing gay marriage, the Texas Supreme Court has received a flurry of
unsolicited advice from politicians, legal scholars, religious groups and
activists.
What the NBA
All-Star Game Can Teach Us About America’s Racial Wealth Gap [Fortune, 2/19/17]: A new study from Brandeis University and
Demos paints a bleak picture of the persistent and widening wealth gap in
America between whites and blacks. It finds that actions like earning a college
degree, working full time, and living in a two-parent household do little to
close the gap.
http://fortune.com/2017/02/19/nba-all-star-game-racial-wealth-gap/
International Law, Citizenship
and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
The Opposite of
Sanctuary [Marshall Project, 2/28/17]: Where
the local lawmen serve as immigration enforcers.
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