Constitutional Law Teaser. (Posted by Gabe)

I had every intention of writing a full-blown Constitutional Law overview before now, but then life happened. I'm preparing to head out of the country for a week on a last-minute trip to the Pacific, so I thought I'd at least do a ConLaw teaser before I left.

There is one concept as you study ConLaw that is absolutely essential, and perhaps surprisingly, it isn't even found in the constitutional text! Over the years, as the Supreme Court has evaluated the myriad of issues that come up in the constitutional context, the justices have formulated three tests – strict scrutiny, intermediate scrutiny, and rational basis. These tests, and their variations, form the lifeblood of constitutional analysis.

Your job in ConLaw is to know those tests cold, and know what governmental actions trigger each one. If you can do that, you are well on your way to understanding ConLaw.

But that brings up an interesting question. These tests are highly useful tools, but they are nowhere in the constitutional text. Do you think these three tests are a valid tool of constitutional interpretation?

Resurrection (Posted by Gabe)

I have had every intention of posting over here for months, and life has taken over (if you're interested, you can see work here and life here). But as you get ready to start your Fourth Quarter, we would like to resurrect this resource and begin posting much more frequently.

You have some great classes this semester. I'm psyched to be your mentor for Constitutional Law, my all-time favorite subject, and the other courses are going to be highly practical for you as you not only prepare for the CLA exam, but also for being a practicing paralegal.

But in order for this blog to be a success, we need help from you. While I'm certain that each of us mentors can come up with things to write about, the best subject matter that we can right about is that which is in response to your needs! So here's what you can do--

• E-mail questions! Don't be shy about asking away. Our answers can form the basis of blog posts that can be a blessing to the whole class.

• Send me your URL! I would love this blog to be more than just a list of articles; it can be a way to link paralegal students and grads together. If you have a blog or website, let me know and I will put it in the blogroll.
  
  
• Leave comments and feedback! In fact, if you found a helpful idea or tip that you'd like to share with your classmates, write it up and e-mail it to me—we can post it here for everyone's edification.

Thanks to the Internet, even a distance learning program offers the chance for you to interact with your classmates. Use this blog as your chance to do just that!

Stay tuned for more to come.