Posts for March 24, 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:
Gorsuch hearings
Senate Dems plan
filibuster to stop Gorsuch confirmation to Supreme Court [LA Times,
3/23/17]: The long-expected announcement of the
filibuster plan came from Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).
In a message on Twitter, Schumer said that Gorsuch would "face a cloture
vote," referring to the Senate process for filibusters.
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:
US Senate votes to repeal Alaska wildlife protections
[Jurist, 3/23/17]: The latest example of separation of powers: The US Senate voted Tuesday to approve House
Joint Resolution 69, a bill to invalidate an August
2016 regulation protecting wildlife on federal lands from certain kinds of
hunting.
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Trump approval his
new low in poll [MSNBC, 3/23/17]: His rating has dipped to a new low of 37
percent, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll. View the
discussion of these numbers which come during a tumultuous week.
Trump
defends wild claims: 'I'm president, and you're not' [CNN, 3/23/17]:
President Donald Trump defended some of the most controversial claims of his
young political career in a
wide-ranging interview with Time magazine published Thursday, in which he
offered a simple and absolute defense of his method: "I'm a very instinctual person, but my instinct turns
out to be right. Hey, look, in the meantime, I guess I can't be doing so badly,
because I'm president, and you're not," he told Time's Washington bureau
chief, Michael Scherer.
Ivanka Trump White
House job raises ethics questions [CNN, 3/23/17]: The White House says
Ivanka Trump will comply with ethics restrictions -- even though they don't
formally apply to her -- now that she's getting a West Wing office.
Justice Department seeks
expedited review for travel ban [Jurist, 3/23/17]: The US Department of Justice petitioned Wednesday to have the travel ban executive order by President Donald Trump reviewed more quickly.
The Complexities of a
“Motive” Analysis in Challenging President Trump’s Executive Order Regarding
Entry to the United States [Justia,
3/24/17]: Professors Amar and Brownstein explain the complexities behind
analyzing the motive underlying legislation and executive orders. Specifically,
they highlight the difficulty in courts’ using perceived motive to strike down
President Trump’s executive order regarding entry to the United States.
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)
The Health Care Bill
Trump Bows to
Conservatives; Agrees to Cut Rule for Basic Health Benefits [NY Times,
3/23/17]: President Trump agreed to the demands
of conservative House Republicans to remove federal requirements that health
insurance plans provide a basic set of benefits like maternity care, emergency
services, mental health and wellness visits as he struggles to round up enough
votes to pass a broad health care overhaul.
The White House had resisted addressing the regulations as part of the bill set
for a House vote on Thursday, arguing that doing so could imperil the bill’s
chances in the Senate, but with Republicans revolting against the measure, the
concession was a last-ditch effort to win a majority.
Not enough votes -- House delays health care bill to
Friday [CNN / Politico, 3/23/17]:
The House hopes to vote on
legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare Friday morning, following a day of
drama and multiple high-level, tension-filled meetings, a White House official
said. President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have been lobbying members of
the conservative House Freedom Caucus and also moderate Republicans in an
attempt to reach the 216 votes they need to pass the bill.
White House: Expect vote tomorrow [CNN, 3/23/17]: Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee
Sanders says the White House is confident the vote on the GOP health care bill
will be tomorrow.
Delayed vote a setback for Trump the dealmaker [Politico,
3/23/17]: “The closer,” it turns out, needs extra innings.
Analysis: Why the
rush to pass a health care bill? [Wash Post, 3/23/17]: GOP hopes to use the
reconciliation process to pass a bill.
The Latest: Trump ties health care vote to abortion [EB Times,
3/24/17]: The Latest on an effort in Congress to pass a health care bill:
President Donald Trump is telling lawmakers
who oppose abortion that a vote against the health care bill would favor
Planned Parenthood.
Health care bill
debate and vote: What happens now? [CNN, 3/24/17]: The House Rules Committee cleared Friday morning the
Republicans' health care bill to repeal and replace Obamacare out of committee
by a vote of 9-3, setting up for a final floor vote later in the day.
Trump card: White House plays its hand in health care
battle [CNN, 3/24/17]: o make a deal, you have to know when it's
time to walk. President Donald Trump ripped that classic move from his
boardroom playbook Thursday night, seeking to splinter the resistance of House
Republicans refusing to pass the health care bill that has left his new
administration in limbo.
Nunes apologized to Democrats after surveillance
comments: aide [Reuters / Politico, 3/23/17]: The Republican chairman
of the House Intelligence Committee apologized to Democratic members of the
panel for going public and to the White House before briefing them about
information he said he obtained about surveillance of President Donald Trump's
team, a committee aide said on Thursday.
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
DOJ report: federal law enforcement resources
concentrated on immigration arrests [Jurist, 3/23/17]: The US Bureau of Justice Statistics on Thursday released a report
finding that a significant portion of federal law enforcement resources were
directed to immigration-related offenses. The analysis showed that half of
all federal arrests in 2014 were related to immigration, with 61 percent of
them occurring in five districts along US-Mexico border.
Does a Border Agent’s
Search of Your Cell Phone Cross the Line? [Newseum, 3/23/17]: The
Electronic Frontier Foundation provides insight into the First Amendment
implications of U.S. border agents seizing and searching electronic devices.
Google vows to fight
search warrant seeking the names of everyone who Googled crime victim [ABA
Journal, 3/20/17]: Google says it will fight a search warrant seeking
information about anyone who searched the name of a financial crime victim on
the search engine in December and early January.
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:
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:
Family court judge
rules Obergefell applies
retroactively, and women had a common-law marriage [ABA Journal, 3/20/17]: A same-sex couple who split up after about 30
years together had a common-law marriage, a South Carolina family law court
judge recently ruled.
Federal judge blocks Louisiana marriage law [Jurist, 3/23/17]: A judge for the US
District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana blocked a law
Wednesday that would prevent foreign-born US citizens from marrying. The
legislation at issue required a birth certificate to obtain a marriage license.
The law had barred 32-year-old Viet Anh Vo from marrying his fiancee in 2016.
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