January 27, 2017

POS 282 INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN LAW
In class today, Friday 1/27, we first finished our discussion of the Nunez opinion. We finished with the disposition in the case, and I went over the possibility that the case could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. I then went through my case brief template and my version of the Nunez case brief. We will pick up next Monday with any questions that the class has about the introductory textbook material (pp. 1-15) assigned for today.
The assignment for Monday 1/30 is read in the text through p. 23. For the Miller case (p. 16) I want you to write out a case brief of the opinion, following the format of the case brief template. The assignment will not be handed in or graded, but I do want you to write out the brief.


POS 384 CIVIL LIBERTIES
In class today, Friday 1/27, we first finished our look at the Lee v. Tam oral argument by summarizing the position taken by Tam's attorney. We then took a brief excursion into history, talking about how the 1st amendment protections for free speech that are protections against Congress, were incorporated by the U.S. Supreme Court through the Due Process clause into protections against the states. We went through the early history of the free speech protection of commercial speech (advertising), and then began our exploration of the Bates case. We got as far as discussing why lawyer advertising was deemed by the State Bar to be inherently deceptive, which is where we'll pick up next Monday.
The assignment for Monday 1/30 is to review Bates and Central Hudson gas (previously assigned) and then to read in the text pp. 247-253 (Snyder v.Phelps).