^{Posts February 1, 2018}

^{These are the 2018 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}

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

The Chief Justice, Searching for Middle Ground [The great Linda Greenhouse in the NY Times, 2/1/18]: This column is not — repeat, not — going to argue that our conservative chief justice, John G. Roberts Jr., has morphed into a moderate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/opinion/chief-justice-roberts-middle.html

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]}

After legal setbacks, Trump administration races to Supreme Court [Reiters, 2/1/18\”  When President Donald Trump’s administration took its fight to end a controversial immigration program directly to the U.S. Supreme Court last month, skipping over a California federal appeals court in the process, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said it was a “rare step” to ensure a quick and fair resolution. 

^{https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-trump-analysis/after-legal-setbacks-trump-administration-races-to-supreme-court-idUSKBN1FL4TH}

III. The Political System: Voting and Campaigns

Redistricting Cases Won't Dictate Outcome of Midterm [Bloomberg, 2/1/18]:

Groups wanting to flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives—or keep it in Republican hands—largely won’t benefit immediately from redistricting court decisions ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, election law scholars told Bloomberg Law.

https://biglawbusiness.com/redistricting-cases-wont-dictate-outcome-of-midterms/

The Districts that Will Determine the Next House Majority [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 2/1/18]: Charting out the Democrats’ path to 218 seats, district by district/

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/the-seats-that-will-determine-the-nex\

Republicans see hope for midterms, despite Trump's unpopularity [Politico, 1/31/18]: House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told Senate and House Republicans here that the midterm elections were beginning to tilt the GOP’s way after bottoming out in December, and that the House is not lost, according to a half-dozen attendees during a rare joint House and Senate GOP session at the party’s bicameral retreat.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/31/ryan-republicans-midterm-elections-380679

Elections Watchdog Warns of Midterm Meddling [CNS, 2/1/18]:Reporting that U.S. elections are still vulnerable to foreign interference, the Campaign Legal Center called Wednesday on Congress, federal agencies and social-media companies to take action to prevent meddling in this year’s midterm races.

https://www.courthousenews.com/elections-watchdog-warns-of-midterm-meddling/

^{Legislation and the Legislative Process}

^\

Schiff accuses Nunes of making secret changes to classified memo before White House review [LA Times, 1/31/18]: Rep. Devin Nunes “secretly altered” a classified and controversial memo about secret surveillance during the 2016 presidential campaign before he sent it to the White House for review, Rep. Adam Schiff said on Wednesday night

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-essential-washington-updates-schiff-accuses-nunes-of-making-secret-1517455145-htmlstory.html

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:

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:

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:

The #MeToo Elephant in the Room During the 2018 State of the Union  [Justia, 2/1/18]: Professor  Hamilton critiques President Donald Trump for failing to mention the #MeToo movement during his State of the Union address. Hamilton posits that like Dr. Larry Nassar, who was accused of sexually abusing 265 young gymnasts, Trump believes he can indefinitely deflect questions about sexual assault, but she argues that he can do so only because the Republicans and evangelicals are propping him up.

^{https://verdict.justia.com/2018/02/01/metoo-elephant-room-2018-state-union}

^{Internat ional Law, Citizenship and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42}

Trump revokes order to close Guantánamo prison, declares it open for new captives [Miami Herald, 1/31/18]:  President Donald Trump on Tuesday revoked his predecessor’s order to close the detention center here and declared the prison of 41 captives open to new detainees. At the same time, his Executive Order on the topic didn’t rule out the possibility of detainee releases.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article197515454.html

Children Facing Deportation Have No Right to Appointed Lawyers [Trial insider, 1/31/18]:  Immigrant children who enter the U.S. illegally with their parents have no right to a government-appointed lawyer in court, a federal appeals court held Monday. Neither due process nor the Immigration and Nationality Act creates a categorical right to court-appointed counsel at government expense for minors, the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held in the case of a Honduran boy.

http://www.trialinsider.com/?p=6988