Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Posts for April 25, 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.

New from the Constitutional Rights Foundation: Understanding Fake News [CRF, 4/23/17]: Lesson overview: Students learn about the phenomenon of “fake news,” how it spreads quickly on the Internet, and how to recognize it and distinguish it from other types of information.

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:

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:

Anticipating a shift to the right in the courts, the NRA begins its attack on gun controls in California [LA Times, 4/24/17]: The state affiliate of the National Rifle Assn. on Monday filed the first in a series of planned court challenges opposing sweeping new gun control laws approved in California in the wake of the San Bernardino terror attacks.

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

The disrupter president and the do-little Congress [Wash Post, 4/24/17]: Will President Trump and congressional Republicans ever understand one another? Over time, they might accomplish things of mutual interest. Big things, perhaps. But the mismatch between the disrupter president and what has been a business-as-usual, do-little Congress seems especially evident as the 100-day mark of the administration nears.

Trump backs away from demand for border wall money [AP, 4/25/17]: President Donald Trump stepped back Monday from demanding a down payment for his border wall in must-past spending legislation, potentially removing a major obstacle to a bipartisan deal just days ahead of a government shutdown deadline. 

Obama’s hidden Iran deal giveaway [Politico, 4/24/17]: By dropping charges against major arms targets, the administration infuriated Justice Department officials — and undermined its own counterproliferation task forces. 

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:

GOP House Candidate Evokes Church Slaughter While Posing With Gun [CNS, 4/24/17]: A Republican House candidate in South Carolina is being condemned for a political ad in which she calls the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds a knee jerk reaction to the Charleston church massacre, all the while holding an assault rifle in her hands.

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

Is It Murder if There’s No Homicide? [Marshall Project, 4/24/17]: The strange case of a convicted killer whose “victim” probably died of her own drug overdose.

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:

To Tweet Or Not To Tweet [Newseum, 4/25/17]: First Amendment Center legal intern Melemaikalani Moniz lays out what government employees can and can’t post on social media.

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:

Voucher Mania Spreads to New Hampshire: Is This a Sign That Public Education Advocates in Other States Should Brace Themselves? [EdLawProfs blog, 4/25/17]: That expansive voucher programs found a receptive audience in Nevada and Arizona's legislatures is not altogether surprising. When similar programs gain steam in places like New Hampshire, it is worth taking serious notice. 


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