Posts for March 10, 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.
Little impact expected on California as Congress rescinds
school accountability rules [EdSource, 3/9/17]: The U.S. Senate
followed the House’s lead Thursday and, on a mostly partisan vote, narrowly
rescinded regulations that strengthened provisions of the Every Student
Succeeds Act holding schools accountable for improving student performance. The
action removes one uncertainty among a constellation of larger ones facing
California education officials as they await the Trump administration’s
expected budget cuts and policy shifts.
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:
Justice Sotomayor laments perception of judges as
political [AP, 3/10/17]: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
said Thursday that she was saddened to see many people have lost confidence in
judges and believe they are political.
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:
Descendant of SCOTUS
justice publicly apologizes for Dred Scott opinion [ABA, 3/8/17]: Descendants
of Dred Scott and Roger Brooke Taney—the U.S. Supreme Court justice who wrote
for the majority in the 1857 opinion that found black people were not citizens
and had no rights to sue for freedom—came together this week in Annapolis to
share a story of reconciliation.
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Growing signs of trouble for Trump’s border wall [Politico,
3/9/17]: Illegal crossings are down. Trump’s budget chief suggests the project
is hardly underway. And powerful Republicans are voicing reservations.
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:
Tech workers electing to use skills in politics [SF
Chron, 3/9/17]: Mike Levin, a new Congressional candidate in a Southern
California swing district, wants to do everything he can to beat the incumbent
Republican in 2018 — and to do so, he said, a strong digital and social media presence
is key.
Profitable Companies, No Taxes: Here’s How They Did It [NY
Times, 3/9/17]: Complaining that the United States has one of the world’s
highest corporate tax levels, President Trump and congressional Republicans
have repeatedly vowed to shrink it. Yet if the level is so high, why have so
many companies’ income tax bills added up to zero? That’s what a new analysis
of 258 profitable Fortune 500 companies that earned more than $3.8 trillion in
profits showed.
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
Mitch McConnell Is Glad He Played Politics With The
Supreme Court [BuzzFeed, 3/9/17]: 'As
you know, I played arguably the single biggest role in having the vacancy
there,' McConnell said, adding that having an open Supreme Court spot helped
Republicans win the White House.
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
Afraid of Jail? Buy
an Upgrade [Marshall Project, 3/9/17]: How California's pay-to-stay jails
create a two-tiered justice system.
How
Race Changes Things: The Supreme Court’s Decision in Buck v. Davis
[Justia, 3/10/17]: Professor Colb examines the
how ineffective assistance of counsel and equal protection interact in cases
involving race to produce results different from what might result from similar
cases not involving race.
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:
Federal circuit court limits protests on Supreme Court
buildings and grounds [FAC, 3/9/17]: The
D.C. U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ban on “harange or oration, or…loud,
threatening or abusive language in the Supreme Court Building or grounds.” The
district court ruled that the language of the ban was vague, but the D.C.
Circuit said the intent was to prohibit speech that could “disturb the
operations and decorum of the Court.”
Wikileaks release of CIA document poses problems for
press [FAC, 3/9/17]: Journalists are challenged to make sure all the
documents are authentic and to assess the origin of the leaks and possible
motives if foreign powers are doing the hacking.
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:
Privacy: Bill
would strip privacy protections from California students and teachers [SJ
Merc, 3/9/17]: In 2015 Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that prohibited California
police and other state agencies from searching our phones and online accounts
without our consent, a court order, or showing it is an emergency. That
measure, the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act, affords
Californians basic Fourth Amendment protections when it comes to digital data. But
a bill now before the state legislature would take away those rights from
students and staff at California’s public schools.
What Is an
"Appropriate" Education for Students with Disabilities?; The Court
Will Tell Us Soon [EdLawProfs blog,
3/10/17]: Just how much must a school district do to support the educational
opportunity of a disabled student? Just enough to enable that student to get
something, anything, out of the education provided? Or enough to enable
that student to thrive, to excel?
No comments:
Post a Comment