Posts for May 29, 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:

Clarence Thomas Is Colorblind [Slate, 5/28/17]: The most conservative justice casts a decisive vote to strike down race-based voting lines.

http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/amicus/2017/05/racial_gerrymandering_struck_down_and_doj_threatens_immigrant_rights_lawyers.html

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]

Russia scandal ices government lawyer hiring [Politico, 5/28/17]: Trump has top DOJ positions as well as U.S. attorney posts and judicial vacancies to fill, but as scandals have spread, the candidate pool has shrunk.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/28/trump-russia-scandal-government-lawyer-hiring-238887

Trump's obsession over Russia probe deepens [Politico, 5/28/17]: President Donald Trump has been aggressively working the phones since returning this weekend from his foreign trip, talking to friends and outside lawyers as he obsesses over the deepening investigations into his aides and Russia. 

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/28/trump-russia-advice-238911

Watchdog's Future Is More Fraught Under Trump [Bloomberg, 5/28/17]: Courts will be unable to avoid today's politics in deciding whether the president can fire the head of an independent agency.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-05-25/cfpb-director-s-future-is-more-fraught-under-trump

Trump Lashes Out at Media After Ducking Press Questions on Trip [Bloomberg, 5/28/17]: Donald Trump lashed out at the “fake news” media in a series of Twitter messages on Sunday after wrapping up his first foreign trip as president -- a nine-day excursion from Saudi Arabia to Sicily -- without once holding a news conference. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-28/trump-ducks-reporter-questions-on-trip-only-g-7-leader-to-do-so

Inside Trump's war on regulations [Politico, 5/28/17]: The chaos of Donald Trump’s first four months as president has overshadowed a series of actions that could reshape American life for decades — efforts to rewrite or wipe out regulations affecting everything from student loans and restaurant menus to internet privacy, workplace injuries and climate change. 

http://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/trump-war-on-regulations/

A Constitutional Puzzle: Can the President Be Indicted? [Adam Liptak’s “Sidebar” blog in NY Times, 5/29/17]:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/29/us/politics/a-constitutional-puzzle-can-the-president-be-indicted.html?_r=0

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:

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

San Francisco courts test new approach to homeless crimes [AP, 5/28/17]: Courts around the country tried to ease the burden of fines and fees in the wake of riots in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 that brought attention to a torrent of traffic and other minor citations that saddled people with debt and even sent them to jail.

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JUDGES_TEARING_UP_WARRANTS

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:

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: