_{Posts February  13,  2018}

_{These are the 2,18 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] Some recent articles that are relevant to this unit}

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

_{The American Presidency [TOPIC 15]}

Trump takes aim at blue states in infrastructure plan –[Politico, 2/12/18]:Major transportation projects in blue states may be in jeopardy in President Donald Trump’s 10-year infrastructure plan, which critics say favors little-populated rural areas to the detriment of urban America.

_{https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/12/trump-infrastructure-blue-states-transit-405993}

_{III. The Political System: Voting and Campaigns}

California Could Get Tougher Penalties For Handling Phones While Driving Under New Bill [CPR, 2/12/18]: California drivers who talk, text or in any way operate a hand-held device would be charged with a moving violation under a bill proposed at the state Capitol this week.

_{http://www.capradio.org/109816}

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

_{About the Anglo-American Heritage of Law Enforcement []Marshall Project, 2/12/18]: Attorney General Jeff Sessions} was technically correct when he lauded the office of sheriff as “a critical part of the Anglo-American heritage of law enforcement” before a gathering of those officeholders on Monday. Assuming he was speaking etymologically, the word can be traced to the Old English scirgerefa, a combination of scir or shire, and gerefa, for reeve or chief, as the “representative of royal authority in a shire”

_{https://www.themarshallproject.org/2018/02/13/about-the-anglo-american-heritage-of-law-enforcement?ref=hp-1-111}

Baltimore Police Found Guilty in Massive Corruption Probe [CNS, 2/13/18]: A jury convicted two Baltimore detectives on Monday evening of what has been called the country’s worst police-corruption scandal.

_{https://www.courthousenews.com/baltimore-police-found-guilty-in-massive-corruption-probe/\}

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

No Immunity for Sheriff Who Fired His Deputy After Election [Newseum, 2/13/18]: A Washington County, Nebraska, sheriff who terminated a deputy sheriff who ran against him in a political campaign is not entitled to qualified immunity, a federal appeals court has ruled. The decision is significant, because it reaffirms the right of public employees to make statements as citizens on matters of public importance. 

_{http://www.newseuminstitute.org/2018/02/12/no-immunity-for-sheriff-who-fired-his-deputy-after-election/}

Ideas still flowing on how to save local news [FAC, 2/12/18\: News of layoffs and downsizing are common these days, the latest source the Bay Area News Group that owns the San Jose Mercury News and several local Bay Area newspapers.

_{https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2018/02/ideas-still-flowing-save-local-news/}

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

Here are some answers about the ‘Race and IQ’ science project that caused an uproar [Sac Bee, 2/12/18]: A student in a prestigious college preparatory program at a Sacramento city high school last week made international headlines after the news of his science fair project on “Race and IQ” went viral.

_{http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article199773129.html}

Former Students Ask How A Small-Town Teacher Dodged Assault And Sexual Misconduct Allegations For Decades –[CPR, 2/12/18]:For decades, a Yuba City native, who has worked simultaneously as a teacher and a county supervisor, has dodged accusations of assault, sexual misconduct and bullying. Now, former students are going public — and asking what happened to their complaints.

_{http://www.capradio.org/109931}

Mill Valley teacher alleges sexual harassment by students [Marin I-J, 2/12/18]: With a nod to the national “#MeToo movement,” Tamalpais High School teacher Eva Rieder has gone public with allegations that male students have sexually harassed her more than a dozen times with physical touching and obscene emails, letters and phone calls — and that school administrators and staff failed to respond to her reports or take any action to stop it. 

_{http://www.marinij.com/social-affairs/20180212/mill-valley-teacher-alleges-sexual-harassment-by-students}