Posts for April 20, 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.

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:

Nobel Prize-Winning Economist: We're Headed for Oligarchy [The Atlantic, 4/19/14]: Robert Solow on powerful families’ threat to democratic institutions. While this article is 3 years old, it is an interesting take on modern developments.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/04/nobel-prize-winning-economist-were-heading-for-oligarchy/361200/

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]

Trump signs order requiring federal agencies to favor US suppliers [Jurist, 4/19/17]: The order requires executive agencies to monitor and enforce Buy American Laws, which are defined as all laws that "require, or provide a preference for, the purchase or acquisition of goods, products, or materials produced in the United States, including iron, steel, and manufactured goods."

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2017/04/trump-signs-order-requiring-federal-agencies-to-favor-us-suppliers.php

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:

Exclusive: Putin-linked think tank drew up plan to sway 2016 U.S. election - documents [Reuters, 4/20/17]: A Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump and undermine voters’ faith in the American electoral system, three current and four former U.S. officials told Reuters. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-election-exclusive-idUSKBN17L2N3

Democrat Edged Out in Georgia House Race [CNS, 4/19/17]: Jon Ossoff, a Democrat making his first bid for elective office, narrowly missed an outright win in a traditionally Republican House district in Georgia, a race seen as a referendum of President Donald Trump.

http://www.courthousenews.com/democrat-just-misses-stunning-victory-georgia-house-race/

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

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:

When it Comes to Our Freedoms, is a C+ Grade Good Enough? [Newseum, 4/20/17]: In a report card issued by the First Amendment Center of the Newseum Institute, the First Amendment gets a barely passing grade.

http://www.newseuminstitute.org/2017/04/20/when-it-comes-to-our-freedoms-is-a-c-grade-good-enough/

See the “First Amendment Report Card”:

http://www.newseuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/reportcard/

UC Berkeley orders cancellation of Ann Coulter speech [SF Chron, 4/19/17]: Next week’s scheduled speech by right-wing pundit Ann Coulter at UC Berkeley is off — for now — because campus officials say they won’t be able to protect participants from rioting if it should happen. 

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/UC-Berkeley-orders-cancellation-of-Ann-Coulter-11084299.php

High Court Seems Sympathetic to Claims of Church Denied Playground Grant [School Law Blog, 4/19/17]: The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared inclined to side with a church arguing that the state of Missouri violated the U.S. Constitution when it denied the church a playground improvement grant for its preschool. It was less certain, however, that the justices would issue a sweeping ruling that state constitutional amendments barring aid to religion had to give way to federal free exercise of religion concerns that would affect other issues, such as vouchers and tax credits for private religious schools.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2017/04/supreme_court_appears_sympathe.html

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:

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

Deportation’s orphans: Who cares for children when parents are sent away? [CalMatters. 4/19/17]: As immigration enforcement ramps up, so rises the fear of undocumented parents about the fate of their children if they are separated by deportation and returned to their native country.

https://calmatters.org/articles/deportations-orphans-cares-children-parents-sent-away/