Posts for May 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 (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:

Q&A: How Did We End Up with this Far-Right Supreme Court? [National Book Review, 5/22/17]: The interview with the author of “The Long Reach of the Sixties: LBJ, Nixon, and the Making of the Contemporary Supreme Court” can be found here.

http://www.thenationalbookreview.com/features/2017/5/23/qa-just-how-did-we-end-up-with-this-right-wing-supreme-court

The Supreme Court's Immigration Law Showdown [The Atlantic, 5/24/17]: The justices will face a number of challenges that have tremendous implications for life in the Trump era.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/the-supreme-courts-immigration-law-showdown/527868/

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:

U.S. regulator may have edge in court arguments on its structure [Reuters, 5/24/17]: A divided U.S. appeals court on Wednesday appeared to tilt slightly in favor of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's arguments that its structure does not violate the Constitution, in one of two cases that could weigh on the policing of Wall Street.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-regulation-idUSKBN18K0EI

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

The Trump Presidency is the Best Civics Lesson in Our Lifetimes [Justia, 5/25/17]: Professor Hamilton discusses how missteps by the Trump Administration have offered the American people a refresher in basic concepts of U.S. government. Hamilton breaks down these various civics topics and explains how the actions of Donald Trump and his administration have returned subjects such as checks and balances, constitutional allocation of power, and impeachment to the forefront of minds in the American public.

https://verdict.justia.com/2017/05/25/trump-presidency-best-civics-lesson-lifetimes

How Trump plans to remake the lower courts [The Hill, 5/24/17]: Earlier this month, Trump announced a slate of 10 nominees for lower federal court judgeships. This slate provides greater insight into how Trump will look to reshape the lower federal courts.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-judiciary/334722-how-trump-plans-to-remake-the-lower-courts

Center for Politics Poll Finds Public Ranks JFK Highest Among Recent Presidents [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 5/25/17]: Survey conducted by Reuters/Ipsos coincides with upcoming Kennedy centennial.

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/center-for-politics-poll-finds-public-ranks-jfk-highest-among-recent-presidents/

Trump reveals location of 2 nuclear submarines to Philippines' president [AP, 5/24/17]: President Trump praised the Philippines' president for an "unbelievable job" in a fight against illegal drugs that has left thousands dead and drawn condemnation from American lawmakers, according to a leaked transcript of their telephone conversation last month.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-fg-trump-philippines-20170524-story.html

Can He Do That? Trump's Executive Order on the Outer Continental Shelf [Jurist, 5/24/17]: Federal court cases on the travel ban and on defunding sanctuary cities have generated enormous attention, and are a reminder that executive orders can be swiftly reviewed where they bump up against constitutional or statutory limits.

http://www.jurist.org/hotline/2017/05/Jay-Austin-Trump-outer-continental-shelf.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:

California’s next election will be a tug-of-war on education [CalMatters, 5/24/17]: The future of public education in California has become a tug-of-war between different camps within the Democratic Party. Democrats aligned with organized labor – who dominated local and legislative races for many years – are now facing formidable challenges from Democrats who see overhauling some union rules as a key to improving education.

https://calmatters.org/articles/californias-next-election-will-tug-war-education/

Maine High Court Nixes Instant-Runoff Voting [CNS, 5/25/17]: The nation’s first statewide ranked-choice voting system, also known as “instant-runoff” voting, which Maine residents approved in November, is unconstitutional, the state’s highest court ruled.

http://www.courthousenews.com/maine-high-court-nixes-instant-runoff-voting/

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

CBO: Obamacare Redo Would Leave 23 Million More Uninsured [CNS, 5/24/17]: The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that a Republican-backed bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Act would raise the projected number of people without health insurance by 14 million next year and by 23 million in 2026.

http://www.courthousenews.com/cbo-says-gop-obamacare-redo-leave-23-million-uninsured-10-years/

Peril for Republicans if they push forward with Obamacare repeal [Politico, 5/24/17]: Obamacare repeal is in trouble in the Senate, and a nonpartisan analysis of the House’s repeal legislation issued Wednesday only reinforced that reality.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/24/republicans-uninsured-cbo-obamacare-repeal-238798

Texas senate revives “bathroom bill” in late-night vote [Jurist, 5/24/17]: The Texas Senate revived a full "bathroom bill" early Wednesday morning. In 1AM vote, the Senate voted 21-10 to attach restroom regulations to an otherwise unrelated proposal concerning county governments. The piggy-backing rules will require transgender Texans to use public restrooms that correspond to the sex identified on their birth certificates.

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2017/05/texas-senate-revives-bathroom-bill-in-late-night-vote.php

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:

Montana Millionaire Charged with Journalist Assault—and Headed for Congress? [Newseum, 5/25/17]: The incident represents an alarming escalation in the recent spate of physical rebuffs against journalists.

http://www.newseuminstitute.org/2017/05/25/montana-millionaire-charged-with-journalist-assault-and-headed-for-congress/

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:

Libertarian Legal Scholars Reject Trump Judicial Nominee's Views on 14th Amendment [Reason.com, 5/22/17]: At issue here is the importance and interpretation of the “Privileges and Immunities clause” of the 14^th Amendment.

http://reason.com/blog/2017/05/22/libertarian-legal-scholars-reject-trump

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

Philippines president declares martial law as militants invade Marawi City [Jurist, 5/25/17]: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the island of Mindanao on Tuesday when heavily armed militants linked to the Islamic State took over large parts of Marawi City, a provincial capital in the predominantly Roman Catholic country. 

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2017/05/philippines-president-declares-martial-law-as-militants-invade-marawi-city.php