Friday, September 1, 2017

Posts for September 1, 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:

Republicans Want to Sideline This Regulator. But It May Be Too Popular. [NY Times, 8/31/17]: With the election of President Trump, the nation's consumer watchdog agency faced a quandary: how to shield the Obama-era institution from a Republican administration determined to loosen the federal government's grip on business.

The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]

Questions about the Emoluments Amicus Brief on Behalf of Trump [“Take Care” blog, 8/31/17]: The amicus brief filed on behalf of President Trump in CREW v. Trump (the first Emoluments suit) by Seth Barrett Tillman and Josh Blackman has some serious problems with how it represents its historical sources. 

During a summer of crisis, Trump chafes against criticism and new controls [Wash Post, 8/31/17]: Behind the scenes during a summer of crisis, however, Trump appears to pine for the days when the Oval Office was a bustling hub of visitors and gossip, over which he presided as impresario. He fumes that he does not get the credit he thinks he deserves from the media or the allegiance from fellow Republican leaders he says he is owed. He boasts about his presidency in superlatives, but confidants privately fret about his suddenly dark moods.

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:

Democrats say Citizens United should die; Here's why that won't happen [“Center for Public Integrity,” 9/31/16]: Some question whether liberal politicians' outrage is even genuine,

Most of Texas' Anti-Sanctuary Cities Law Blocked by Federal Judge [CNS, 8/31/17]: A federal judge in San Antonio ruled that several provisions of a Texas law that prohibits sanctuary cities and punishes local officials with jail time and removal from office for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration officers are likely unconstitutional.

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

Pantyhose defense rejected for man who took upskirt videos at Wegmans [NJ.com, 8/31/17]: Joshua Nicholson, of Bridgewater, argued in his appeal the woman's intimate parts weren't exposed beneath her dress because she was wearing pantyhose. 

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:

That First Amendment Lesson Didn’t Go So Well [CNS, 8/31/17]: A North Carolina high school teacher who lost his job for stepping on an American flag in his social studies class to teach a lesson about the Bill of Rights has sued the school board a second time, this time for racial discrimination.

Roy Moore blasts Congress over appeals court ruling on prayer by football coach [AL.com, 8/31/17]: Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore spoke out Thursday about a Seattle-area football coach who lost his job after praying with his team on the field, focusing his attack on "do-nothing Congress."

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:

Cake artist to Supreme Court: Affirm artistic freedom, free speech [“Alliance Defending Freedom,” 8/31/17]: ADF attorneys file opening brief with high court on behalf of Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop.

Why Masterpiece Cakeshop is a Harder Case Than You Think (and Why Federalism Can Help Resolve It with a Meta-Accommodation of Religious Disagreement) [ProfsLawBlog, 8/31/17]: Think of federalism, in other words, as a meta-accommodation of religion -- an accommodation of rival theories about how religion ought to be accommodated. 

Israel Supreme Court rejects petition to recognize same-sex marriage [AP, 8/31/17]: Justices stated that the issue should be determined by legislators, not the court.


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