^{Posts December 17, 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:

A Brief Glossary for Trump's Judicial Nominees [The Atlantic, 12/17/17]: What to memorize for the confirmation heari

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/a-brief-glossary-for-trumps-judicial-nominees/548606/

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:

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

Walters: Universal health care doable for less cost [SSac Bee, 12/17/17]: When the Legislature reconvenes and the campaigns for governor heat up next year, Californians will be hearing a lot – and a lot of hot air – about universal health care. Making California the first state to guarantee health care for every resident has become a touchstone issue – and a divisive one – for the state’s dominant Democrats.

^{https://calmatters.org/articles/commentary/commentary-universal-health-care-doable-less-cost/}

Why Democrats failed to tank tax reform [Politico, 12/16/17]: The tax fight has all the ingredients that helped Democrats kill Obamacare repeal: party unity on Capitol Hill, energized liberal activists and legislation that polls in the toilet. But this time it doesn’t appear to be enough.

^{https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/16/tax-reform-democrats-obamacare-298958}

Cost of Republicans' tax cuts likely to be greater than they appear on paper [:S Times, 12/16/17]: On paper, the tax package hammered out Friday carries a price tag of a net $1.5 trillion over 10 years. In reality, the cost in the form of federal deficits is virtually certain to be substantially higher. That’s because of a bit of fiscal gamesmanship. 

^{http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tax-plan-debt-20171216-story.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:

Why Texas’ ‘death penalty capital of the world’ stopped executing people [NBC News, 12/16/17]:   Since the Supreme Court legalized capital punishment in 1976, Harris County, Texas, has executed 126 people. That’s more executions than every individual state in the union, barring Texas itself. Harris County’s executions account for 23 percent of the 545 people Texas has executed. On the national level, the state alone is responsible for more than a third of the 1,465 people put to death in the United States since 1976.

^{https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/lethal-injection/why-texas-death-penalty-capital-world-stopped-executing-people-n830276}

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:

Masterpiece Wedding Cakes: The Context-Dependence of Meaning  ^{[Jirosty, 12/16/17]:} Two perpendicular lines: a cross. A church architectural committee asks a sculptor to design one for placement atop the steeple over its new sanctuary. Delighted, he agrees. The KKK admires the craftsmanship provided the church and asks the sculptor for the same design for use during its march in Skokie. Revolted, he declines.

^{http://www.jurist.org/hotline/2017/12/jeff-shafer-masterpiece-cakes.php}