^{Posts December 1, 2017}

^{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.}

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

^{Listen to the audio of this week’s Siuspreme Court cases by going to this link:}

^{https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_audio/2017}

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

^{The American Presidency [TOPIC 15_}

Former Trump adviser Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI [AP, 12/1/17]: Former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty Friday to making false statements to the FBI, the first Trump White House official to make a guilty plea so far in a wide-ranging investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

^{https://apnews.com/fb2c8cd3e70542648d31756729611d3e/Former-Trump-adviser-Flynn-pleads-guilty-to-lying-to-FBI}

^{III. The Political System: Voting and Campaigns (See Topic 16-20 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are someecent articles that are relevant to this unit:}

^{Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 2}

Senate Republicans have the votes to pass their tax plan ^{[CNN, 12/1/16]:} Republican Senate efforts to secure support for an overhaul of the nation's tax system appeared successful Friday, as at least 50 GOP members -- enough to advance the proposal -- have said they'll support passing the bill.

^{http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/politics/senate-tax-bill-vote-uncertainty/index.html 3017]:}

Tax bill could trigger historic spending cuts [Politico, 11 Unless Congress acts swiftly to stop it, as much as $150 billion per year would be cut from initiatives ranging from farm subsidies to student loans to support services for crime victims. Medicare alone could see cuts of $25 billion a year. And the specter of those cuts has thrust Congress into a high-stakes game of political chicken.

^{https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/30/tax-bill-spending-cuts-gop-congress-274337?lo=ap_b1}

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

Kate Steinle trial: Garcia Zarate acquitted in San Francisco pier killing [SF Chron / KQED 11/30/17]: A jury handed a stunning acquittal on murder and manslaughter charges to a homeless undocumented immigrant whose arrest in the killing of Kate Steinle on a San Francisco Bay pier intensified a national debate over sanctuary laws.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Jury-reaches-verdict-in-killing-of-Kate-Steinle-12396509.php

^{https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/11/30/how-the-steinle-verdict-could-alter-the-political-landscape/}

In Carpenter Case, Justice Sotomayor Tries to Picture the Smartphone Future ^{[ New Uorker, 11/30]:/17]: “I} am not beyond the belief that someday a provider could turn on my cell phone and listen to my conversations,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor said on Wednesday, in the oral arguments in the case of Timothy Ivory Carpenter v. United States. 

^{https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/carpenter-justice-sotomayor-tries-to-picture-smartphone-future}

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

Judge: Suspensions OK for students who 'liked' racist posts  ^{[SF Chron / East Bay Times, 11/30/17]:} A California school district acted properly when it suspended five students who "liked" or commented on racist images on another student's Instagram account that included nooses drawn around the necks of a black student and coach and comparisons of African-American women and students to gorillas, a judge has ruled.

^{http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/education/article/Judge-Students-who-liked-racist-posts-properly-12395712.php}

^{http://eastbaytimes.ca.newsmemory.com/?token=U9AwsVOWnT31XfeE0n3XzA%3d%3d&product=eEditionCCT}

^{Kentucky Appeals Court Upholds Teacher Abuse Law [Newseym, 11/27/17]:} A law prohibiting the abuse of a teacher or school administrator does not violate the First Amendment, a Kentucky appeals court has ruled.   The appeals court reasoned that the law prohibits fighting words, a category of speech defined by the U.S. Supreme Court as speech that “by its very utterance inflicts injury or incites an immediate breach of the peace.”

^{http://www.newseuminstitute.org/2017/11/27/kentucky-appeals-court-upholds-teacher-abuse-law/}

^{rivacy, Working, Citizenship & Immigration [See TOPICS 34-41 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:}

Is there a constitutional right for a business to not serve customers? [Erwun Chemerinsky in the ABA Journal, 11/30/17]: All anti-discrimination statutes pose a tension between equality and liberty. Any law that prohibits discrimination—whether based on race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or any other grounds—denies the freedom to choose who to serve or to hire. 

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/is_there_a_constitutional_right_for_a_business_to_not_serve_customers

Read a contrasting view from the National Review:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/454228/masterpiece-cakeshop-case-stop-misrepresenting

Opponents in LGBT case agree: It's not about wedding cake [AP 11/30/17]: n a legal case with profound implications for LGBT rights and religion’s place in public life, the opposing sides agree on this: It’s not about the cake.

^{https://apnews.com/b4ef2e38d9b141d2ad82df3229a15928/Opponents-in-LGBT-case-agree:-It's-not-about-wedding-cake}

 ^\