Source: https://www.nycpoliticalforum.org/News?page=6
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 20:30:40+00:00

Document:
Motion Debate: "Is College Worth It?"
This month's Motion: "Higher education in America is worth the cost of tuition."
Read more about Motion Debate: "Is College Worth It?"
Law, History & Politics: Brown v. Board of Ed.
For this meeting, we'll read and discuss the Brown v. Board of Ed decisions -- the original decision ("Brown I"), as well as the "implementation" decision ("Brown II").
1) Brown v. Bd. of Ed. of Topeka, et al., 347 U.S. 483 (1954) ("Brown I") -- Click here to access it online.
2) Brown v. Bd. of Ed. of Topeka, et al., 349 U.S. 294 (1955) ("Brown II") -- Click here to access it online.
We'll discuss how and why the Brown decisions effectively overturned the doctrine of "Separate But Equal."
We'll then discuss the "Little Rock Nine" incident that followed the Brown decisions.
Read more about Law, History & Politics: Brown v. Board of Ed.
This is an exclusive invitation to attend a live Mayoral Debate at a historic Gramercy Park venue -- hosted, organized, and moderated by our very own group! This is an "open partisan" debate, as all declared mayoral candidates, regardless of their party affiliation were invited. The debate will take place a weekend prior to the September 12th primaries.
Motion Debate: the "Islamic Assimilation"
This month's Motion: "it is difficult to successfully integrate or assimilate Islamic culture in the U.S."
Kate and Nasser will team up against Danielle and Jabber in debating for and against the Motion, respectively. It will be moderated by Evan Rhoda.
Read more about Motion Debate: the "Islamic Assimilation"
This is a multi-part discussion series examining the ostensibly-sudden rise of nationalism in different parts of the world.
• "Nationalism" as a political ideology, giving rise to "Ethno-Nationalism" and "religious-based" nationalism.
• The emergence of the "National Consciousness."
• How "Nationalism" spills over into overseas or extraterritorial military expansion.
• The difference between "populist nationalism" and "authoritarian nationalism."
This week also marks the 70th Anniversary of the Partition.
Motion Debate: Is "Religion"­ more harmful to society than good?
This month's Motion: on balance, is "Religion" more harmful to society than good?
For the purposes of this debate, "Religion" is defined as “the belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine, or to have control over human destiny."
Read more about Motion Debate: Is "Religion"­ more harmful to society than good?
Law, History & Politics: the Chinese Exclusion Act + Korematsu v. U.S.
We'll continue our discussion in this new series -- LAW, HISTORY AND POLITICS.
he LHP series explore the intersections of its namesake -- an in-depth study of a particular law, court decision, or a legal precedent that shaped the political forces and its historical ramifications.
The LHP series will start out with subject matters that directly relate to the U.S. For instance, we'll discuss landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, particular Constitutional Amendments, or an influential Legislative body of work.
The advanced LHP series will explore international and comparative law from a historic perspective. These may include: Magna Carta, the Code of Justinian, the Code of Hammurabi -- to more recent selections, such as the Treaty of Versailles, the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights and the Geneva Convention.
Once upon a time, Congress enacted a law to prohibit an entire class of individuals from entering the U.S., based on race and ethnicity.
Read more about Law, History & Politics: the Chinese Exclusion Act + Korematsu v. U.S.
This past Sunday, we kicked off the "Pre-July 4th" celebrations with the following two events: 1) a viewing of an Alexander Hamilton documentary; and 2) a trivia night based on the "Revolutionary Period" themes. It was fun and informative -- many pointed out that the partisan divisions that sparked at the onset of this fledgling Republic still reverberates today.
The U.S. Supreme Court's 2016 Term in Review (July 7th) -- regular seats full, with only waitlist seats available.
Special Art Exhibition, followed by a talk on the "State of Media and the Trump Administration" presented by a member of the "mainstream journalism" (July 25th) -- it's free to attend, but very limited seats are offered. More details will be posted soon. The RSVP window will open on Friday, July 7th at 9am.
Motion Debate: "Religion" (July 26th) -- the RSVP window will open on July 10th at 9am.
Finally, as the summer season kicks into full speed, a day-trip to Governor's Island for a picnic and a walking tour will be announced during August. We're looking for volunteers to assist with planning what will be a fun excursion!
It's that time of the year again -- as the Court recently wrapped up its 2016 Term, a series of important decisions were handed down in the waning days. While the cases are not as contentious as the 2014 or the 2015 Terms, the 2016 Term, nonetheless, consisted of matters brimming with public policy significance.
As always, we'll be discussing these cases from a prism of political or public policy lenses -- no prior legal experience, or a comprehensive understanding of the Constitution or the Supreme Court is required.
• Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer -- Does the exclusion of churches from an otherwise neutral and secular aid program violate the First Amendment’s guarantee of free exercise of religion and the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause? (Holding: yes).
• Matal v. Tam -- Is the "disparagement" clause of the Lanham Act, banning the trademark of offensive names, of an Asian rock band "The Slants," unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment? (Holding: yes).
This month's Motion: Is it a proper function of the government to provide healthcare to its citizens?

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