Sunday, June 18, 2017

Posts for June 18, 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.

What’s widening the political gap between rural and urban America? Culture, a new poll shows [Wash Post, 6/17/17]: A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey found rural Americans are apprehensive about the nation’s rapidly changing demographics, fear that Christianity is under siege and believe that the government cares more about city dwellers. 

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:

Politifact CA: Are Americans 25x more likely to be shot & killed than others in developed countries? [PolitiFact, 6/14/17]: Gun control is a top priority for California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. So, it’s no surprise Newsom, a Democrat and 2018 candidate for governor, promoted the cause on National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Learn More About The Trump-Russia Imbroglio [NPR, 6/16/17]: Russia's intelligence services interfered in the 2016 presidential election to hurt Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump win, the U.S. intelligence community says.During this time, American spy agencies say, they also found that people connected to Trump's campaign were communicating with Russians in ways that caused "concern." The story has raised many big questions. So NPR News has created this resource of background information to try to help make it all a little clearer.

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:

Willie Brown: Kamala Harris a politician now, but always a prosecutor [SF Chron, 6/17/17]: Supporters of Sen. Kamala Harris have been calling me to ask if she’s coming across as too strident in her questioning of Justice Department officials testifying before the Intelligence Committee. “You know, she seems kind of mean,” one caller said. “She’s not mean,” I said. “She’s just being Kamala.”

No retirement talk from Dianne Feinstein, oldest US senator [AP, 6/17/17]: nation’s oldest U.S. senator looks like she’s sticking around. California’s Dianne Feinstein turns 84 on Thursday and is displaying signs that she’s headed for a re-election campaign, not a retirement party. 

Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)

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

Criminal justice leaders seek to end lifetime registry for low-risk sex offenders in California [LA Times, 6/17/17]: It’s been nearly four decades since a 25-year-old Frank Lindsay landed on California’s sex offender registry after he pleaded no contest to improperly touching a girl under 14.

Bill Cosby Assault Scandal Ends in Mistrial [CNS, 6/17/17]: A judge declared a mistrial Saturday in the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial, with the jury deadlocked on whether the comedian intentionally incapacitated a woman he had sex with in 2004. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said he hopes to retry Cosby by October.

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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