Posts for August 4, 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]
Mueller Impanels Grand Jury in Russia
Probe [CNS, 8/3/17]: Robert
Mueller, the special counsel overseeing the probe of Russian meddling in the
2016 election, has impaneled a grand jury in Washington that began working in
recent weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
One year into the
FBI's Russia investigation, Mueller is on the Trump money trail [CNN, 8/3/17]: Federal
investigators exploring whether Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russian
spies have seized on Trump and his associates' financial ties to Russia as one
of the most fertile avenues for moving their probe forward, according to people
familiar with the investigation.
He once said mothers do not belong in state office. Now
he leads the Trump Cabinet in Bible study [LA Times, 8/3/17]: News
from the Christian Broadcasting Network that members of President Trump’s
Cabinet are attending Bible study sessions together didn’t come as such a shock
in Washington. The shock was who is teaching them.
Trump rallies his base against Russia investigation [Politico,
8/3/17]: President Donald Trump used a campaign-style rally Thursday night to
level a sustained attack on the investigation into Russian meddling in last
year’s election, just hours after news broke that special counsel Robert
Mueller had tapped a grand jury as part of the wide-ranging probe.
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:
Lobbying in the Trump era: Californians say little has
changed but the language [SJ Merc, 8/3/17]: President Donald Trump
came to Washington, D.C. decrying lobbyists and vowing to “drain the swamp” —
but six months into his administration, California’s top lobbyists say the only
major changes they’ve had to make are in their language.
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
$15 billion border bill wouldn't fund a wall [Politico,
8/3/17]: Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) and three other Senate
Republicans rolled out legislation on Thursday making it clear that, in their
view, a stand-alone wall running the length of the U.S.-Mexico border — a core
Trump campaign promise — isn’t the answer.
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:
Justice Souter, the First
Amendment and the case of the synagogue standoff [“On the Case” blog,
8/3/17]: Thanks to the First Amendment’s
Establishment Clause, U.S. courts have to be extremely wary of taking sides in
doctrinal disputes between religious groups. On the other hand, as retired U.S.
Supreme Court Justice David Souter pointed out Wednesday in his opinion for the
1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Congregation Jeshuat Israel v.
Congregation Shearith Israel, the
Free Exercise Clause means courts can’t interfere with religious autonomy.
When Leaks
Dry Up, We Turn to FOIA [Newseum, 8/4/17]: This is how the Freedom of Information Act
works – in theory and in practice.
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:
How Trump's Attack on Affirmative Action Could Succeed [Bloomberg / Slate, 8/3/16]: An aggressive Justice
Department could make the case, or wait for the Supreme Court's makeup to
change.
Judges send transgender
bathroom case back to lower court [Jurist, 8/4/17]: A federal lawsuit over a transgender teen's demand to use the boy's
bathroom at his high school is being sent back to a 4ourt.
Family of transgender child brings discrimination case
against private school [Jurist,
8/4/17]: The parents of eight-year-old
transgender student Nicole Brar brought a discrimination suit against Nicole's
private school, Heritage Oak Private School located in Yorba Linda, California,
and the school's parent company, Nobel Learning Communities Wednesday.
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