Posts for March 5, 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 (5^th ed.) student textbook.

Oakland: About 70 percent of new teachers leave the district in five years, report says [EB Times, 3/4/17]: The Oakland Unified School District must do a better job supporting and retaining new teachers, according to a report by an educational advocacy group that found that nearly three-quarters of new teachers left the district within five years of being hired. 

http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/03/04/oakland-about-70-percent-of-new-teachers-leave-the-district-in-five-years-report-says/

I. Introduction to Law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court [See TOPICS 1-10 in the 5^th 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 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Obama spokesman says Trump's wiretapping allegation is false [AP, 3/4/17]: President Donald Trump on Saturday accused former President Barack Obama of having Trump Tower telephones "wire tapped" during last year's election, a claim that an Obama spokesman said was false. Trump did not offer any evidence or details, or say what prompted him to make the allegation.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Trump-alleges-Obama-had-Trump-phones-wiretapped-10976743.php

Trump relied on Breitbart news to claim Obama tapped his phones [Bloomberg, 3/4/17]: Donald Trump relied on conservative media sources to make his explosive claim that former President Barack Obama had the then-candidate's phones tapped during the 2016 election campaign, according to a person familiar with the situation. A spokesman for Obama said Trump's claims were "simply false."

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-04/trump-calls-obama-sick-claims-trump-tower-was-wiretapped

III. The Political System: Voting and Campaigns [See TOPICS 16-20 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

Utah House passes alcohol reform bill [Jurist, 3/5/17]: The Utah House of Representatives passed an alcohol reform bill on Friday aimed at removing what is referred to as the "Zion Curtain," a 7-foot-tall barrier, shielding children from watching drinks being mixed in restaurants.

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2017/03/utah-house-passes-alcohol-reform-bill.php

IV. Criminal Law and Procedure (4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th amendments) [See TOPICS 21-28 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit

For San Francisco’s black defendants, it’s hard to find jury of peers [SF Chron, 3/4/17]: In a courtroom in San Francisco’s Hall of Justice, 102 prospective jurors squeezed into worn wooden seats, taking care to avoid the broken ones. They represented the mix of ages, races, sexual orientations and income levels that typifies their melting-pot city. But another reflection of San Francisco stood out: Only four were black.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/For-SF-s-black-defendants-it-s-hard-to-find-10977625.php

V. 1^st Amendment (Speech, Religion, Press and Assembly) [See TOPICS 29-33 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

VI. 14^th Amendment, Discrimination, Privacy, Working, Citizenship & Immigration [See TOPICS 34-41 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit: