Posts for April 28, 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:
There are good reasons to
split the 9th Circuit, but Trump's reason isn't one [The Hill, 4/26/17]:
It is not the first time that the idea of a
break up of the Ninth Circuit has been raised. However, as Neil Sedaka might
advise Trump, “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.” The division of the Ninth
Circuit is not quite as easy as many have suggested and this important decision
should not be made as retaliation for contrary rulings.
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:
Austin Abortion Clinic Reopens After Supreme Court
Ruling. Will Any More Follow? [Texas
Observer, 4/25/17]: Whole Woman's Health
is accepting appointments in Austin this week while about two dozen other
clinics remain closed in the wake of HB 2.
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Trump's Executive Orders Are Mostly Theater [Politico,
4/28/17]: The president knows how to stage a photo op, but so far his signature
hasn't changed much.
Trump prepares to seat Judge Thapar, first of scores of
conservatives for federal courts [Wash Times, 4/25/17]:
Fresh off his successful Supreme
Court battle, President Trump
will now try his luck stocking the federal appeals court with conservative
jurists — and Democrats are mostly powerless to stop him.
First up is Judge Amul
R. Thapar, whom Mr. Trump has
tapped to sit on the 6th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals and who will sit for his confirmation hearing in the
Senate on Wednesday.
Trump Can't Win His Battle Against the Judges [Slate / McClatchy, 4/27/17]: Try as he might to
change the rules, his protests only fuel the fire.
Difficult
legal path forward for Trump in sanctuary cities case [Reuters / LA
Times, 4/27/17]: Even if President Donald Trump wins an appeal of a
court ruling blocking his executive order on sanctuary cities, arguments made
by the government in the case could permanently harm its efforts to cut off
wide swaths of federal funding to targeted cities, some legal experts say.
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:
Latino economics, political clout linked [Capitol
Weekly, 4/27/17]: California’s growing Latino population is numerically strong
but traditionally under-performs at election time – and that may have as much
to do with economics as with politics.
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
House delays Obamacare vote, denying Trump 100-day win [Politico,
4/27/17]: GOP leaders are still struggling to round up enough moderates to get
their repeal-and-replace bill through the chamber.
Calif. bill to lengthen probation for teachers clears
first hurdle [EdSource, 4/27/17]: Legislation to add a year to the two-year
probationary period for California teachers passed the Assembly Education
Committee, its first test, on Wednesday after contentious exchanges between the
bill’s author, Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, and committee Chairman
Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach.
Trump caves on the wall — and Democrats think he will
again [Politico, 4/27/17]: The game of chicken between the White House
and Democrats over government funding ended before it began.
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:
Abbott & Costello head
to Supreme Court over 'Who's On First' [NJ.com, 4/27/17]: The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to review a copyright infringement
claim against a popular Broadway play that features part of Abbott and
Costello's famous "Who's On First?" comedy routine.
Protester at UC Berkeley who refuses to remove mask is
cuffed and arrested [SF Chron, 4/27/17]: Refusing to remove a surgical
mask was enough to get a young man arrested at the right-meets-left protest at
UC Berkeley on Thursday.
Immigrants plan May Day rallies buoyed by Trump
opposition [AP, 4/28/17]: Immigrant groups and their allies have
joined forces to carry out marches, rallies and protests in cities nationwide
next week to mark May Day, saying there's renewed momentum to fight back
against Trump administration policies.
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:
Employee's pay based on past salary OKd by court [SF Chron / AP, 4/27/17]:
An employer can pay a woman
less than a man for the same work if the man was paid more at his previous job
and if the employer had a reasonable policy to justify reliance on past
salaries, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
You can read the 9th
Circuit’s opinion in Rizo v. Yovino at:
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