Posts for June 6, 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:
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]
Trump Grows Discontented With Attorney General Jeff Sessions [NY Times, 6/5/17]: Few
Republicans were quicker to embrace President Trump’s campaign last year than
Jeff Sessions, and his reward was one of the most prestigious jobs in America.
But more than four months into his presidency, Mr. Trump has grown sour on Mr.
Sessions, now his attorney general, blaming him for various troubles that have
plagued the White House.
How Trump just completely undermined the legal argument
for his travel ban, in 4 tweets [Wash Post, 6/5/17]: This time, the
four tweets he sent early Monday morning could actually make one of Trump's top
priorities much more difficult to see to fruition: Getting his travel ban
reinstated by the Supreme Court, which the Trump administration has asked the
court to do sooner rather than later.
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:
Russians May Have Hacked Voting Tech Firm [CNS, 6/5/17]: Russian hackers attacked at least one U.S. voting software supplier days before last year’s presidential election, according to a classified government intelligence report leaked Monday.
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
Vulnerable California Republicans struggle to sell
Obamacare repeal vote [Politico, 6/5/17]: Rep. David Valadao’s
colleagues privately thought he’d vote against the House GOP bill to repeal and
replace Obamacare.
Single-Payer Bill Met With Skepticism On Its
Accessibility To Health Care [CPR, 6/5/17]: The California Senate has
passed a single-payer health care bill last week, but many key questions about
the proposal remain unanswered. Supporters and opponents both question how much
more accessible health care would become to Californians if signed into law.
Trump
opens 'infrastructure week' without a plan, and calls for privatizing air
traffic control [LA
Times, 6/5/17]: President Trump employed all the trappings traditionally
reserved for signing major bills into law as he kicked off “infrastructure
week” on Monday: the stately East Room full of dignitaries, a four-piece
military band to serenade, celebratory handshakes and souvenir presidential
pens for lawmakers, promises of “a great new era” and a “revolution” in
technology. Yet the documents Trump signed amid all the pomp were a far cry
from a new law or even an executive order.
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
Supreme Court to rule
in cell phone location privacy case [Jurist / SCOTUS blog, 6/5/17]: he US Supreme Court on Monday granted cert in Carpenter
v. U.S. to determine, "[w]hether the warrantless seizure and
search of historical cell phone records revealing the location and movements of
a cell phone user over the course of 127 days is permitted by the Fourth
Amendment."
Death penalty in California: State Supreme Court holds
high-stakes hearing Tuesday [SJ Merc, 6/5/17]: In the latest
battlefront over the death penalty in California, the state’s high court hears
arguments Tuesday on whether a voter-approved proposal to speed up the
executions of death-row inmates runs afoul of the state constitution.
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:
Paying for
Free Speech: Proposed Laws Would Regulate Public Protests [Newseum,
6/5/17]: First Amendment scholar David L. Hudson Jr. discusses the recent rise
in proposed state legislation that would penalize people exercising their right
to assemble.
Middle school yearbook with KKK and Confederate symbols
is being reprinted [Fresno Bee, 6/5/17]: This year’s Computech Middle
School yearbook is being reprinted after an eighth-grade teacher’s page was
decorated with Confederate flags and a Ku Klux Klan symbol.
Can California universities revoke admission for
offensive online posts? [SJ Merc, 6/5/17]: News that Harvard revoked
the admission of at least 10 incoming students caught posting offensive
comments online is sending shivers through high school graduates across the country
who are wondering: Are universities increasingly shredding acceptance letters
over ill-advised Instagram posts and Twitter threads?
Hate speech vs. free speech: Where is the line on college
campuses? [LA Times, 6/5/17]: Free speech has once again become a
highly charged issue on college campuses, where protests frequently have
interrupted, and in some cases halted, appearances by polarizing
speakers.
Billions of dollars, First Amendment protections, at stake in
ABC lawsuit
[Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader / Reuters / Newseum, 6/5/17]: It’s a
sure bet that the summer plans for 16 Union County, South Dakota residents look
a lot different today than they did a week ago. The 11 women and five men
constitute the jury in the defamation lawsuit brought by Dakota Dunes-based
Beef Products Inc. against ABC and Jim Avila, a senior correspondent for the
broadcaster. BPI’s $1.9 billion lawsuit is scheduled to last eight weeks,
potentially concluding in late July.
Field Trip for
Religious Freedom [Newseum, 6/5/17]: Muslim students at a Northern Virginia high
school sent home for not having a permission slip allowing them to wear their
hijabs.
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:
Federal Court Invokes Ministerial Exception to Beat
Discrimination Claim [Newseum,
6/5/17]: The growing trend in courts broadly applying the ministerial
exception essentially allows religious-based employers to bypass employment
discrimination claims.
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