Posts for July 23, 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:

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:

Climate change lawsuits face uphill battle, but could have radical implications [SD Union-Trib, 7/22317]: Does a trio of new lawsuits aimed at forcing the world’s largest oil companies to pay for the projected effects of rising seas along California’s coast have a fighting chance? 

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-me-climate-change-legal-20170723-story.html

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Can the President Be Indicted? A Long-Hidden Legal Memo Says Yes [NY Times, 7/22/17]: A newfound memo from Kenneth W. Starr’s independent counsel investigation into President Bill Clinton sheds fresh light on a constitutional puzzle that is taking on mounting significance amid the Trump-Russia inquiry: Can a sitting president be indicted? As Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel in the latest inquiry, investigates the Trump campaign’s dealings with Russia and whether President Trump obstructed justice, the newly unearthed Starr office memo raises the possibility that Mr. Mueller may have more options than most commentators have assumed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/22/us/politics/can-president-be-indicted-kenneth-starr-memo.html

You can see the memo at:

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3899216/Savage-NYT-FOIA-Starr-memo-presidential.pdf

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

White America’s Unshakeable Confidence in the Police [The Marshall Project, 7/19/17]: A new poll says whites are as confident in the police as ever. How?

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/07/19/white-america-s-unshakeable-confidence-in-the-police?ref=hp-2-121#.Ee9va9LBE

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:

New Jersey Governor signs bill directing schools to recognize transgender rights [Jurist, 7/22/17]: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law on Friday directing New Jersey school boards to "addres[s] common issues concerning the needs of transgender and LGBTQ students, and to assist schools in establishing policies and procedures that ensure a supportive and nondiscriminatory environment for transgender students."

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2017/07/nj-governor-christie-signs-bill-directing-school-boards-to-recognize-transgender-rights.php