^{Posts January 1, 2018}

^{These are the posts that are accumulated in our weekly newsletter which goes out throughout the school year. The posts are organized by the major units in our Constitutional Law (5th ed.) student textbook.}

US Legal News Round Up for Saturday, 30 December 2017 [Jurist, 12/30/17]: [JURIST] Here's the domestic legal news we covered this week:

http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2017/12/us-roundup-30-December-2017.php

Millions to Ring in 2018 With Legal Pot, Higher Wages  [CNS, 1.2/29/17]: usands of legislative fruits of labor born from bargaining and negotiating between lawmakers and lobbyists go into effect across the nation Jan. 1. As usual, significant new 2018 laws addressing topics such as recreational marijuana, immigration and election reform are matched by odd and perhaps trivial bills.

https://www.courthousenews.com/millions-to-ring-in-2018-with-legal-pot-higher-wages/

I.          Introduction to Law, the Constitution, and the Supreme Court [See TOPICS 1-10 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

'I Wish You Bad Luck,' He Said With Good Intentions [WSJ, 12/31/17]: Chief Justice John Roberts elaborates on this spring's famous ninth-grade graduation speech

https://www.wsj.com/articles/i-wish-you-bad-luck-he-said-with-good-intentions-1514499865?shareToken=stb11da7d15bd44d5cae2757028a26cdda&reflink=article_email_share

Roberts: Judiciary will review sexual misconduct policies [AP, 12/31/17]:  Chief Justice John Roberts used his annual report on the federal judiciary Sunday to promise a careful evaluation of its sexual misconduct policies and to highlight the work of court employees following the year’s destructive hurricanes.

https://apnews.com/d5fd569f16454c499f6608ef84320c3a/Roberts:-Judiciary-will-review-sexual-misconduct-policies

II.         Defining the Political System: Federalism and Checks and Balances [See TOPICS 11-15 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

^\

^{The American Presidency [TOPIC 15_]}

Mullen: Threat of nuclear war with North Korea heightened -- Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday that the U.S. is closer to nuclear war with North Korea than ever before, an example of America's adversaries taking advantage of the "uncertainty" of President Donald Trump's leadership.

^{https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/31/mullen-north-korea-nuclear-war-319824}

III.        The Political System: Voting and Campaigns [See TOPICS 16-20 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

The latest 2018 election-hacking threat: 9-month wait for government help [Politico, 12/31/17]: States rushing to guard their 2018 elections against hackers may be on a waiting list for up to nine months for the Department of Homeland Security’s most exhaustive security screening, according to government officials familiar with the situation. 

^{https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/29/2018-election-hacking-threat-government-help-231512}

  

IV.       Cminal Law and Procedure (4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th amendments) [See TOPICS 21-28 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Some states put a THC limit on pot-smoking drivers — Here’s why California doesn’t [SF Chron, 12/31/17]: Melanie Brinegar smelled of marijuana, so a Colorado police officer asked her to get out of her vehicle. On the one-legged stand, a routine part of field sobriety tests, she lost her balance after 28 seconds, when she needed to go 30. A drug recognition evaluation that included looking at her vital signs went worse.

^{http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Some-states-put-a-THC-limit-on-pot-smoking-12465013.php}

V.        1^st Amendment (Speech, Religion, Press and Assembly) [See TOPICS 29-33 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

Us The Post More Fic tion Than  Fact? [Concurring Opinions, 12/31/17]: “The Post, which opens tonight, is a good movie but bad history. It exaggerates the role of The Washington Postin the success of the publication of the Pentagon Papers and the subsequent Supreme Court case. It downplays the role of the true catalyst in the real life drama: The New York Times. Kay Graham and Ben Bradlee, who were good friends of mine, must be rolling over in their graves laughing at the roles Hollywood has given them.”

 htts://concurringopinions.com/archives/2017/12/fan-172-1-first-amendment-newsspielbergs-the-post-more-fiction-than-fact.html

VI.       14^th Amendment, Discrimination, Privacy, Working, Citizenship & Immigration [See TOPICS 34-41 in the 5^th edition of Constitutional Law] Some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:

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