^{Posts December 14, 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.2}

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:

In the Shadow of the Bill of Rights ∫[Gerard Magliocca in “Concurring Opinions” blog, 12/14/17]: One point that many judges and scholars make is that our emphasis on the Bill of Rights obscures the role that constitutional structure plays in protecting liberty. In other words, people tend to pay less attention to the internal limits  within the text (bicameralism, separation of powers, federalism, and enumerated powers) than they should. 

^{https://concurringopinions.com/archives/2017/12/in-the-shadow-of-the-bill-of-rights.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:

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:

Partisan Gerrymandering and the Outlook for the 2018 U.S. House Elections [Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 12/14/17]: There is a growing sense among political observers that the United States may be heading toward a wave election in 2018. Results of recent special elections, including Doug Jones’ (D) victory in the Alabama Senate race on Tuesday, along with Democratic victories in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections and surprisingly large Democratic gains in the Virginia House of Delegates all point toward the likelihood of substantial Democratic gains in next year’s midterm elections, including a real possibility that Democrats could regain control of the U.S. House 

^{http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/partisan-gerrymandering-and-the-outlook-for-the-2018-u-s-house-elections/}

Republican civil war erupts anew [Po;iotico, 12/13/17]: Democrat Doug Jones’ victory in Alabama — far from settling the score between the McConnell and Bannon wings of the Republican Party — instead touched off another round of internecine GOP infighting over who’s to blame for the party's loss in one of the most conservative states in the country. 

^{https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/13/alabama-moore-republican-civil-war-295402}

^{Legislation and the Legislative Process (TOPIC 20)}

Politicians accused of sexual harassment are being ousted by peer pressure [CALMATTERS, 12/13/17]: It’s a central tenet of democracy: The electorate is a politician’s ultimate boss. If voters don’t like what their representatives are up to, they can, as the saying goes, throw the bums out. But in recent weeks, as a wave of sexual harassment and assault allegations hits politicians in several statehouses and the nation’s capitol, another force is proving to be as powerful as the electorate: peer pressure. 

^{https://calmatters.org/articles/politicians-accused-sexual-harassment-ousted-peer-pressure/}

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:

^{What the Doug Jones Victory in Alabama Means for Criminal Justice [The Marshall Project, 12/14/17]:} 
Last year, prospects were looking good for a bipartisan effort in Congress to overhaul federal sentencing. But after long and careful negotiations, one senator almost single-handedly torpedoed the measure: the junior Republican from Alabama, Jeff Sessions.

^{https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/12/13/what-the-doug-jones-election-means-for-criminal-justice-reform?ref=hp-1-121}

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: