Posts for April 11, 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:
Neil Gorsuch's Appointment
Further Blurs Line Between Law and Politics [WSJ, 4/11/17]: The bruising partisan process that preceded the
swearing-in of Neil Gorsuch on Monday to the U.S. Supreme Court less recalled
the stately self-image of the federal bench than the sharp-elbowed, much
criticized retail politics most states use to elect their judges.
Cases, but also cafeteria duty, await Gorsuch at high court [AP, 4/10/17]: How do you keep a new Supreme Court justice's head
from getting too big? Start by making him take notes and answer the door at the
justices' private meetings. Then, remind him he speaks last at those
discussions. Finally, assign him the job of listening to gripes about the food
at the court's cafeteria.
When will Justice Anthony
Kennedy retire? [CNN, 4/11/17]: With Justice
Neil Gorsuch sworn in and the Supreme Court's 422-day era-of-eight over,
attention has turned to Anthony Kennedy, the jurist who administered Gorsuch's
oath at the White House ceremony and on whose key vote the law in America has
long turned.
Supreme Court, Back at 9,
Endures as Centrist [Bloomberg, 4/10/17]: With the swearing-in
Monday of Justice Neil Gorsuch, the U.S. Supreme Court’s configuration shifts
to … a 4-4 balance with a single centrist justice as the swing vote. If that
sounds familiar, it should. It’s been the normal state of affairs since 1986,
when Justice Antonin Scalia joined, and on some issues all the way back to
Richard Nixon’s administration.
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:
Alabama governor resigns following the start of
impeachment proceedings [Jurist, 4/11/17]: Alabama
Governor Robert Bentley on Monday afternoon resigned from his office after
impeachment proceedings were initiated against him by lawmakers that morning.
Bentley was under investigation for misuse of state resources to pursue and
cover up an affair with one of his former staff members, Rebekah Caldwell.
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Appeals Court to Review Trump Travel Ban With All
Active Judges Participating [WSJ /
Politico ‘ Lyle Dennisston blog, 4/10/17]: Fourth Circuit Court to skip
three-judge panel review, possibly speeding up resolution of travel ban's
legality.
Arizona history serves as key legal argument in
states’ court brief supporting Trump travel ban [Cronkite News,
4/10/17]: When 13 states recently filed a brief in support of President Trump’s travel
ban, they used Arizona’s rocky history of immigration enforcement at the core
of their legal argument. Citing Arizona v. United States, the states
aim to turn Arizona’s defeat over the notorious SB1070 into a victory for the
Trump Administration.
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:
Federal Judge Strikes
Down Texas Voter ID Law Again [CNS,
4/11/17]: The Texas Legislature intentionally crafted a voter ID law to
disenfranchise minorities, a federal judge ruled Monday, putting the law on
track for possible review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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
Inside Santa Clara Jails, Predatory Bail Schemes
Flourished for Years [KQED, 4/10/17]: On June 20, 2014, a bail bond
agent named Dino Garcia received a phone call from an inmate in the Santa Clara
County Main Jail. The inmate, known as Riley in court documents, wasn’t calling
to bail himself out.
Here are the 7 men
Arkansas plans to execute this month [Marshall Project, 4/11/17]: The cases of the condemned capture much of the
debate for and against the death penalty.
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:
Global Hostility Based on Religion on the Rise, Pew Study Finds
[CNS, 4/11/17]: Government restrictions on religion and open hostility
involving religion increased in 2015, reserving a recent downward trend in such
activities, the Pew Research Center said Tuesday.
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:
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