Posts for April 9, 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:
Trump, Republicans in Supreme Court driver's seat [USA Today, 4/8/17]: By confirming federal appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch to the high court
Friday, the Senate restored the status quo — a slim conservative majority
missing from the court since the death
of the legendary Scalia 14 months ago. But it's unlikely to stay that way for
long — and therein lies a huge opportunity for President Trump and his
conservative base to reshape the high court for decades to come.
Joining high court, the
real Neil Gorsuch set to stand up [AP, 4/8/17]: Somewhere
between the Republican caricature of the next justice of the Supreme Court as a
folksy family guy and the Democrats' demonization of him as a cold-hearted
automaton, stands Neil Gorsuch.
Gorsuch nomination
and hearings
Republicans Made High
Court a Partisan Battleground [Jost on Justice blog, 4/9/17]: The blame starts with Richard Nixon, who turned the
Supreme Court into a partisan battleground as part of the divisive campaign he
waged for the presidency in 1968.
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:
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Was Trump’s Strike on Syria Legal? [New Yorker, 4/7/17]: In the years following the September
11th terrorist attacks, Americans have grown so accustomed to Presidents
launching missiles at countries in the Middle East and North Africa that we
almost forget that there are laws intended to circumscribe a President’s urges
to use military force.
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:
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
Nearly $1 billion in side deals by Gov. Brown and
Democratic leaders cemented the legislative vote to raise the gas tax [LA
Times, 4/8/17]: In one of the biggest legislative victories of his storied
political career, Gov. Jerry Brown pushed through an ambitious plan last week
that will increase gas taxes and vehicle fees to raise $52 billion over the
next decade for the repair of California’s system of crumbling roads, highways
and bridges. But the win didn’t come cheaply — Brown and legislative dealers
promised nearly $1 billion for the pet projects of lawmakers who had been
sitting on the fence before they were persuaded to vote for the bill.
How Republicans learned to love Obama [Politico,
4/8/17]: The GOP heads home for recess with little to show voters — and no one
to blame but themselves.
Inside the failed secret mission to save the filibuster [Politico,
4/8/17]: A group of senators secretly tried to negotiate an end to the Senate's
decade-long judicial wars. But distrust ran too deep.
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:
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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