Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Posts for April 12, 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:

Democrats face uphill fight if Trump gets second U.S. high court pick [Reuters, 4/11/17]: If Democrats thought it was hard to stop President Donald Trump's first U.S. Supreme Court nominee, it promises to be even tougher for them if he gets to fill another vacancy, potentially to replace the most influential justice, Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy, a conservative who sometimes sides with the court's liberals in key cases such as on gay rights and abortion, is one of three justices 78 or older. Justice Stephen Breyer is 78 and fellow liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 84.

Supreme Court Retirement Talk Focuses on Pivotal Justice Kennedy [Bloomberg, 4/11/17]: Justice Anthony Kennedy reclaimed his position as the man in the middle of the U.S. Supreme Court when he swore in Neil Gorsuch, his former law clerk, as the newest justice. The question is whether Kennedy wants to keep that pivotal role in close decisions for longer than a few more months.

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:

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:

Lawmakers aim to move California's presidential primary right behind Iowa and New Hampshire [Politico, 4/11/17]: California lawmakers and the state's chief elections officer announced a new effort on Tuesday to move the state's 2020 primary up by three months, even giving the governor power to accelerate the timeline in hopes of closely following elections in Iowa and New Hampshire. 

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

Republicans Are Using An Obscure Law To Repeal Some Obama-Era Regulations [NPR, 4/9/17]: President Trump and congressional Republicans are having some success with one of their oft-stated goals — rolling back federal regulations approved during the Obama administration. But the clock is ticking.

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

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 Judge Upholds City’s Ban on Wind Signs, Including Balloons Used for Ads [David Hudson in the Newseum, 4/11/17]: Missoula, Montana’s ban on wind signs is constitutional and does not violate the free-speech rights of a car lot owner who flew balloons affixed to cars to attract customers, a federal district court has ruled.

Federal Appeals Court Considers Facebook Post a “True Threat” [David Hudson in the Newseum, 4/11/17]: A Wisconsin man learned the hard way that posting incendiary messages on Facebook about killing then-President Barack Obama can fall into the unprotected category of true threats. 

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:

International Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]

Spain court begins hearings on Syria war crimes [Jurist, 4/11/17]: Hearings began in Spain on Monday regarding potential war crimes committed by President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. The case is a result of a Spanish national's brother being abducted and tortured in Damascus before being executed in 2013.


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