Posts November 24Ç,
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:
This computer game comes thanks to 2 Supreme Court justices [AP, 11/23/17] The
Supreme Court’s first female justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, has helped teach
millions of students civics through computer games created by an organization
she founded. Now, with a push from the Supreme Court’s first Hispanic justice,
Sonia Sotomayor, the group has translated one of its games into Spanish.
The group iCivics, which O’Connor
founded in 2009 after her retirement from the Supreme Court, now has 19
computer games that were played by 5 million students last year. Sotomayor, who
grew up speaking Spanish at home, joined the organization’s board in 2015. One
of her first initiatives has been to try to make iCivics games more accessible
to students learning English and others
:
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_
Trump and congressional leaders to hold talks to avoid
shutdown[Politico, 11/22/17]:- President Donald Trump and top congressional
leaders will meet next week to try to hammer out a year-end agreement to avert
a government shutdown, according to multiple sources, as Capitol Hill careens
toward a legislative pile-up next month.
III. The Political System: Voting and Campaigns
(See Topic 16-20 in
the 5th edition of Constitutional
Law] Here are someecent articles that are relevant to this unit:
Legislation and the Legislative
Process (TOPIC 20)
Republicans push hard on GOP
tax plan, but voters just aren't that into it [LA Times,
11/23/17]: Republicans are investing enormous amounts of political capital and
dollars to pump up support for the GOP tax overhaul in a risky, last-ditch
legislative undertaking ahead of next year’s midterm election.
Murkowski
says she backs Obamacare mandate repeal [Politico, 11/21/17]: Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she
supports GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate,
the Alaska Republican wrote in an op-ed for a local newspaper Friday.
Can Rep218ublicans expand
the federal judiciary through reconciliation? [“Balkinization” blog,
11/23/17]: Steve Calabresi
has proposed that congressional Republicans dramatically expand the
federal judiciary to give President Trump enough appointments to establish
conservative majorities on courts across the country. Linda
Greenhouse questions both his justifications for so many new judgeships
and his assertion that his proposal is no more partisan than what Democrats
have already done. Professor Calabresi also has suggested including these provisions in reconciliation
legislation to avoid filibusters from Democrats unwilling to give President
Trump more vacancies to fill. Whatever the merits of his substantive
proposal, reconciliation is not a viable route to accomplish
it.
IV. Criminal Law and Procedure
(4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th amendments)
[See TOPICS 21-28 in the 5th
edition of Constitutional Law Profs Blawf] 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
Trut, Media, and
Democracy in the Digital Age [Newseum, 11/20/17]:
The Trust Project takes on
fake news [FAC, 1123/17]:To combat
fake news, Google and Facebook are joining The Trust Project, a nonpartisan
initiative to help online users
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:
California should be able to reduce public employees’
pension benefits, Jerry Brown argues [Sac Bee, 11/22/17]: Gov. Jerry
Brown got most of what he wanted when he carried a proposal to shore up the
state’s underfunded public employee pension plans by trimming benefits for new
workers. Five years later, he’s in court making an expansive case that
government agencies should be able to adjust pension benefits for current
workers, too. Adam Ashton in the
Federal judge blocks
Trump's transgender military ban[Jurist.11/24/17]:
The US District Court
for the District of Maryland on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction against President
Donald Trump’s transgender military
ban.
Listen Up: There Is a
Solution to the Sex Abuse and Harassment Epidemic Unfolding Before Your
Eyes—And You Will Be Surprised at Who Must Step Up to Succeed [Justia,
11/22/17]: ProfessorHamilton addresses the issue of sex abuse and harassment in
light of the accusations made against many high-profile men recently. With a
focus on the perpetrators, then the victims of their abuse, Hamilton explains
why the general public might be (wrongly) disinclined to believe these men are
guilty and unpacks why it often takes the victims such a long time to come
forward. Hamilton also offers a multi-part solution to this epidemic, laying
the moral responsibility of improvement and change squarely on the shoulders of
the lawyers and insurance companies that represent these abusive men in various
contexts.
I
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