October 29, 2012

POS 282 INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN LAW
In class today, Monday 10/29, I distributed two handouts; the Maine statute regarding hindering apprehension, and the Maine statutes regarding common law crimes, and regarding the mandated reporting of certain crimes. We discussed the moral issues involved in the Mobbley case, as well as Court's decision, and began our discussion of the Holland case. We will continue Wednesday with the question of what decision the Florida Supreme Court reached in Holland. The additional assignment for Wednesday 10/31 is to read and prepare to discuss through the end of Chapter 2 of the text.

POS 359 FEDERALISM
In class today, Monday 10/29, we went through the Heart of Atlanta case, looking at such issues as the correct constitutional standard in interstate commerce (versus the statutory standard used by Congress), the ways of distinguishing prior unfavorable Court precedent, and the degree to which the Court deferred to Congressional determinations of facts, even without explicit factual findings. We began our discussion of the McClung companion case, and we'll pick up on Wednesday with a look at that deference question. The additional assignment for Wednesday 10/31 is to read through p. 328 of the text.

POS 359 THE CURRENT SUPREME COURT TERM
In class today, Monday 10/29, we started with a look at Kennedy's final contribution to the Fisher oral argument, in which he pushed Solicitor General Verrilli to admit that sometimes race does make a difference. I then outlined the Roberts opinion in Parents Involved, paying particular attention to those portions that Kennedy joined in, and those in which he did not join. We will continue with Part III (B), in which Kennedy did not join, on Wednesday. The assignment for Wednesday 10/31 is to continue work on the previously assigned paper, due Friday 11/2.