Posts for August 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.
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:
Swing time: Justice Kennedy will take centre stage
during the Supreme Court's upcoming term [The Economist, 8/15/17]: Disputes over gerrymandering, gay rights and
Donald Trump's travel ban may hinge on his vote.
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]
A Nazi salute, a KKK hood and Trump: Magazine covers
after Charlottesville are jarring [Wash Post, 8/17/17]: The latest
from the Economist depicts the president bellowing into a white, conical
megaphone — with eye holes that lend the appearance of a Ku Klux Klan hood. The
clear implication is that Trump has amplified the message of white supremacists
by failing to treat them as any more blameworthy than the counterprotesters
with whom they clashed in Charlottesville last weekend.
Donald
Trump has no grasp of what it means to be president [The Economist, 8/17/17]: U-turns, self-regard and equivocation are
not what it takes.
https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21726696-u-turns-self-regard-and-equivocation-are-not-what-it-takes-donald-trump-has-no-grasp-what-it
Jackie Speier calls for Trump’s removal from office under
25th Amendment [SJ Merc, 8/16/17]: A Bay Area congresswoman is calling
for President Donald Trump to be removed from the presidency under a
never-before-used constitutional provision.
It’s an Either-Or
Question: Trump or Decency [Justia, 8/17/17]: Professor Hamilton minces no
words in criticizing President Trump’s taking sides with neo-Nazis and
supporters of the KKK. Hamilton calls upon everyone to make known where they
stand—either with Trump in betraying fundamental American values, or on the
side of decency.
Trump alienates business execs, another group that was
supposed to help him [SF Chron, 8/16/17]: It was more than just
political fallout when several top business leaders turned against President
Trump this week, a response to his saying “both sides” were responsible for the
violence during a white supremacist demonstration in Virginia.
Steve Bannon, Unrepentant
[American Prospect, 8/16/17]: Trump’s embattled strategist phones me, unbidden,
to opine on China, Korea, and his enemies in the administration.
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:
Governors 2017-18: The
Democrats’ Complicated Path to Big Gains [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 8/17/17]: A couple of weeks ago, Crystal
Ball senior columnist Alan
Abramowitz unveiled a
model for predicting party change in next year’s gubernatorial elections. The results were
rosy for Democrats: The model does not take into account two other factors,
both of which are also positive for Democrats.
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:
Permit for right-wing Crissy Field rally to get 2nd look
by officials [SF Chron, 8/16/17]: The National Park Service on
Wednesday acknowledged widespread concern over plans to hold a right-wing rally
at Crissy Field in San Francisco next week, and said it would make a decision
soon on whether to let the event proceed on the park property.
Facebook bans white nationalist's accounts over hate
speech [AP, 8/16/17]: Facebook has banned the Facebook and Instagram
accounts of a white nationalist who attended the rally in Charlottesville,
Virginia, that ended in deadly violence.
Wisconsin’s
Crackdown on Student Hecklers [Newseum, 8/16/17]: Wisconsin State
Assembly passes a bill to crackdown on student hecklers at campus speeches.
Opponents argue the measure gags freedom of speech instead of protecting
it.
Bigots are coming to the Bay Area. Just ignore them. [EB
Times / SF Chron, 8/16/17]: It’s time for those who deplore racism, xenophobia
and religious hate, whether they’re Democrats, Republicans or political
independents, to start controlling the narrative. The best way to do that is
not engage.
Confederate plaque in San Diego has history of
controversy, repeated removals [SD Union-Trib, 8/16/17]: Once again, a
plaque honoring Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, has been
removed from the park at Horton Plaza. The sudden move Wednesday morning by the
city of San Diego came nearly 71 years after it was taken down the first time —
shortly after the plaque was installed amid considerable civic controversy.
Trump Calls Removal of Confederate
Monuments ‘Foolish’ [CNS, 8/17/17]: President Donald Trump on Thursday
denounced the removal of monuments to Confederate figures as “foolish,” days
after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., to protest the planned
removal of a statue of the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee led to the death of a
counterprotester and the injury of 19 others.
Alabama Sues Birmingham for Covering
Confederate Statue [CNS, 8/17/17]: Alabama sued its largest city
Wednesday, claiming Birmingham violated a new state law by covering up a
112-year-old monument to Confederate soldiers in a downtown park in response to
the deadly clash in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend.
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:
Bathroom Bill Dies in Texas as Special
Legislative Session Ends [CNS, 8/17/17]: An anti-transgender
“bathroom bill” that would have required people to use public facilities that
match their biological sex is dead in Texas, after the Legislature adjourned
its special session a day early.
International Law, Citizenship
and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
For Oakland family split by deportation, an emotional
last day in U.S. [SF Chron, 8/16/17]: Maria Mendoza-Sanchez spent her
last hours in the United States before deportation tending to matters both
routine and strange. She drove her 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, to the
first day of her sophomore year in high school. She packed. She sat down for
meals with loved ones. She cried. And she signed paperwork granting broad power
of attorney over her family’s affairs to her 23-year-old daughter,
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