February 17, 2015

POS 282 INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN LAW
In class today, Tuesday 2/17, I first gave the class a sample test, in preparation for Exam #1 (which will be given Thursday 2/26). I also announced that the first graded case brief will be assigned before Spring break, but will not be due until after Spring Break. We then began going over the case brief for Speelman, getting as far as the first issue in the case: whether addressing a notice to an address that the sender knows is not where the addressee actually currently resides, is "reasonably calculated" to reach her. We will continue with the rest of the Speelman case brief on Thursday. The additional assignment for Thursday 2/19 is to read and do a case brief for yourself of Katko v. Briney (pp. 39-43).


POS 383 AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
In class today, Tuesday 2/17, we first went over schedules. I reminded the class that the NFIB outlines are due this Thursday 2/19. I also announced that the first exam (open-book and open-note) will be on Thursday 2/26. We also reviewed the current constitutional news regarding both Alabama's same-sex marriage compliance and the federal district court judge's preliminary injunction against Obama's immigration executive order. We then turned to Printz, finishing up that case. Along the way, we also talked about the difference between a concurrence in the judgment versus a concurrence in the opinion. We went on to S. Dakota v. Dole and saw how it sowed the seeds of the "coercion" doctrine. The harvest was reaped in NFIB v. Sebelius. The assignment for Thursday 2/26 is to finish work on your NFIB outline, due at the beginning of class Thursday.