Posts for July 17, 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.
San Diego Students Can't Duck AP Test Redo [CNS,
7/16/17]: More than 500 Advanced Placement students in San Diego must retake
their tests, a federal court judge ruled late Friday, after finding the College
Board was correct in invalidating more than 800 tests because students sat too
close together.
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]
10 Steps to Impeach the President [Nation of Change, 7/15/17]: This isn’t to say Trump
couldn’t or won’t be impeached. Only that it’s a long and drawn-out
process. Usually I don’t post their stuff, but this is a good summary of the
process.
Judge Fast-Tracks Demand for Legal
Basis of Syria Strikes [CNS, 7/17/17]: A federal judge ordered the State, Justice and
Defense Departments to speed up their responses to a government watchdog’s
requests for records on the legal justification for the Trump administration’s
missile strike on Syria in April.
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:
Don't Let Our Democracy Collapse
[Richard Hasen in the NY Times Sunday Review, 7/15/17]: The strength and integrity of the American electoral process are under
tremendous strain, but the worst may be yet to come.
PolitiFact California's Top 10 fact checks [PolitiFactCA,
7/14/17]: In the first half of 2017,
PolitiFact California’s most popular fact-checks and articles, in terms of
pageviews, ranged from a Pants On Fire claim that state lawmakers legalized
child prostitution to a Mostly True statement about the extremely slim odds of
being killed by a refugee in a terror attack.
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
How the White House and Republicans underestimated
Obamacare repeal [Politico, 7/17/17]: The longer Republican efforts to
repeal Obamacare flounder, the clearer it becomes that President Donald Trump’s
team and many in Congress dramatically underestimated the challenge of rolling
back former President Barack Obama’s signature achievement.
Who Would Be the Senate Majority Leader? [Gerard Magliocca in Concurring Opinions,
7/17/17]: “I’m working on the galley proofs of my Bill of Rights
book–the last stage before publication. This puts me in the mood to daydream
about far-fetched legal scenarios.”
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:
Seattle’s New Public Campaign
Funding Plan Meets Conservative Pushback [Newseum, 8/17/17]: Seattle’s
“Democracy Voucher” program aims to empower voters and encourage campaign
participation. Despite initial success, it faces accusations that it violates
freedoms of speech.
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:
The Compromise That
Secured a Constitutional Right To Education
[EdLaw Profs blog, 7/17/17]: In his forthcoming article in the Stanford Law
Review, “The Constitutional Compromise to Guarantee Education,” he argues that,
contrary to popular belief, our federal constitution does protect a right to
education.
The troubling politics of
the Texas Supreme Court's reversal on same-sex benefits [Facing South, 7/14/17]: Last month, the Texas Supreme Court voted unanimously
to overturn a lower court ruling guaranteeing benefits to the spouses of gay
and lesbian public employees. The case will likely be the latest in a group of
marriage equality cases to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, following Arkansas' Pavan
v. Smith and Colorado's Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil
Rights Commission.
Fifth Circuit Ruling
Threatens LGBT Rights & Religious Freedom [“Take Care” blog, 6/17/17]: The poster wrote
about a challenge to Mississippi's
HB 1523, a most unusual anti-LGBT "religious freedom" law. As he
explained, although it is decorated with the rhetoric of religious
accommodation, HB 1523 not only eviscerates LGBT rights, but also shreds
religious liberty.
Woman suing Planet
Fitness appeals to Michigan Supreme Court
[Midland (Michigan) Daily
News, 7/16/17]: A local woman's lawsuit claiming sexual harassment and
retaliation against a Midland gym where she encountered a transgender woman has
been appealed to the state's highest court, the Michigan Supreme Court.
CA to begin anti-discrimination testing of Airbnb hosts [KPCC,
7/17/17]: State regulators plan soon to test hosts on Airbnb to prevent
discriminatory practices, picking audit targets using information provided by
the online homesharing platform.
School Chief to Defend Ending Ethnic Studies [CNS,
7/16/17]: A federal trial considering whether an Arizona law that shuttered a
popular Mexican-American studies program in Tucson was enacted with
discriminatory intent resumes this week and will include testimony from the man
behind the behind the effort to end the program.
International Law, Citizenship
and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
UN report condemns
increase in civilian deaths in Afghanistan [Jurist, 7/17/17]: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
released a report Monday condemning an increase in civilian deaths in
Afghanistan during the first half of 2017. Although there was an overall
decrease in civilian casualties in the first six months of 2017, there was an
increase in injuries and deaths from improvised explosive devices (IED).
No comments:
Post a Comment