{"id":361,"date":"2026-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/?p=361"},"modified":"2026-01-06T16:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T21:29:08","slug":"redistricting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/redistricting\/","title":{"rendered":"Redistricting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"751\" data-attachment-id=\"630\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/exec-first3-2024_texas_state_house_election_voteshares-svg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg_.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1466\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg\" data-image-description data-image-caption=\"<p>Texas' 2024 voting district map. In 2025, Texas state legislators voted to redraw their district lines, flipping five majority Democrat district to favor Republicans. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.<\/p>\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg_-1024x751.jpg\" src=\"http:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg_-1024x751.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg_-1024x751.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg_-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg_-768x563.jpg 768w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg_-1536x1126.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-2024_Texas_State_House_election_voteshares.svg_.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Texas\u2019 2024 vot\u00ading dis\u00adtrict map. In 2025, Texas state leg\u00adis\u00adla\u00adtors vot\u00aded to redraw their dis\u00adtrict lines, flip\u00adping five major\u00adi\u00adty Demo\u00adc\u00adrat dis\u00adtrict to favor Repub\u00adli\u00adcans. Pho\u00adto cour\u00adtesy of Wiki\u00adme\u00addia Com\u00admons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Arti\u00adcle 1, Sec\u00adtion 2&nbsp;estab\u00adlish\u00ades that the num\u00adber of rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives in the House per state is deter\u00admined by the state\u2019s pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion. Orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly, this was one rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive for 30,000 peo\u00adple. In 1929, Con\u00adgress capped the House at 435 rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives. That means today, with the U.S. pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion around 340.1 mil\u00adlion peo\u00adple accord\u00ading to the U.S. Cen\u00adsus Bureau, each Con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal dis\u00adtrict includes about 780,000 peo\u00adple. Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut has five dis\u00adtricts, thus five rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This sec\u00adtion also requires that Con\u00adgress must count the U.S. pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion every 10 years. They cre\u00adat\u00aded a per\u00adma\u00adnent Cen\u00adsus Bureau in 1902 to take on this task. The decen\u00adni\u00adal cen\u00adsus also prompts states to redraw vot\u00ading dis\u00adtricts based on the updat\u00aded pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion data. Redis\u00adtrict\u00ading deter\u00admines vot\u00ading dis\u00adtricts \u2013 and which groups have the most pow\u00ader in the vot\u00ading process. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the new lines are drawn, state leg\u00adis\u00adla\u00adtors or oth\u00aders charged with redis\u00adtrict\u00ading cre\u00adate new dis\u00adtricts with rough\u00adly the same num\u00adber of indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals \u2013 but they also may con\u00adsid\u00ader things like vot\u00aders\u2019 par\u00adty affil\u00adi\u00ada\u00adtion or race.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the sum\u00admer of 2025, Pres\u00adi\u00addent Don\u00adald Trump pushed for Repub\u00adli\u00adcan states to redis\u00adtrict before the cen\u00adsus to cre\u00adate more dis\u00adtricts to help his par\u00adty keep con\u00adtrol of Con\u00adgress. The first of these mid-decade redraw\u00adings hap\u00adpened in Texas, in which five dis\u00adtricts with a major\u00adi\u00adty Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic vot\u00aders were flipped to favor Repub\u00adli\u00adcans.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In retal\u00adi\u00ada\u00adtion, Cal\u00adi\u00adfor\u00adnia vot\u00aders passed a mea\u00adsure to approve a new con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal map, too. Propo\u00adsi\u00adtion 50, oth\u00ader\u00adwise known as The Elec\u00adtion Rig\u00adging Response Act, flips five dis\u00adtricts to favor Democ\u00adrats, can\u00adcelling out the five poten\u00adtial Repub\u00adli\u00adcan seats in Texas.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though Trump con\u00adtin\u00adues to urge Repub\u00adli\u00adcan states to redis\u00adtrict before the 2026 midterm elec\u00adtions, his admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/california-redistricting-justice-department-lawsuit-025b00f0b3490a5fa8219c4376bcb9d2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sued<\/a> Cal\u00adi\u00adfor\u00adnia on Nov. 13 to block the new Prop 50 map, call\u00ading it a \u201cbrazen pow\u00ader grab.\u201d&nbsp; Three days lat\u00ader, he called out Indi\u00adana Repub\u00adli\u00adcans for not recon\u00adven\u00ading the cham\u00adber to redraw con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal dis\u00adtricts in a <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/115560208774541030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Truth Social post<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVery dis\u00adap\u00adpoint\u00aded in Indi\u00adana State Sen\u00adate Repub\u00adli\u00adcans, led by [Repub\u00adli\u00adcan In Name Only] Sen\u00ada\u00adtors Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not want\u00adi\u00adng to redis\u00adtrict their State, allow\u00ading the Unit\u00aded States Con\u00adgress to per\u00adhaps gain two more Repub\u00adli\u00adcan seats,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cBecause of these two polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly cor\u00adrect type \u2018gen\u00adtle\u00admen,\u2019 and a few oth\u00aders, they could be depriv\u00ading Repub\u00adli\u00adcans of a Major\u00adi\u00adty in the House, A VERY BIG DEAL! Cal\u00adi\u00adfor\u00adnia is try\u00ading to pick up five seats, and no one is com\u00adplain\u00ading about that. It\u2019s weak \u2018Repub\u00adli\u00adcans\u2019 that cause our Coun\u00adtry such prob\u00adlems.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2014by Mikay\u00adla Bun\u00adnell, UConn Jour\u00adnal\u00adism<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:35%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-vertical is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-810fbbe0 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/executive-power\/\">EXECUTIVE POWER<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/the-national-guard\/\">NATIONAL GUARD<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/redistricting\/\">REDISTRICTING<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/due-process\/\">DUE PROCESS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/impeachments\/\">IMPEACHMENT<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/elections\/\">ELECTIONS<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/no-kings\/\">NO KINGS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/courts\/\">COURTS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/tariffs\/\">TARIFFS<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/?p=336&amp;preview=true\">Back to Con\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion Main Page<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arti\u00adcle 1, Sec\u00adtion 2&nbsp;estab\u00adlish\u00ades that the num\u00adber of rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives in the House per state is deter\u00admined by the state\u2019s pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion. Orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly, this was one rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive for 30,000 peo\u00adple. In 1929, Con\u00adgress capped the House at 435 rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives. That means today, with the U.S. pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion around 340.1 mil\u00adlion peo\u00adple accord\u00ading to the U.S. Cen\u00adsus Bureau, each [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1086,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[109,124,108,80,111,115,123,125],"class_list":["post-361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-constitution","tag-article-1","tag-california","tag-constitution","tag-donald-trump","tag-elections","tag-redistricting","tag-texas","tag-voting"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":363,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/elections\/","url_meta":{"origin":361,"position":0},"title":"Elections","author":"Mikayla Bunnell","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I Voted\" sticker from California's 2020 election. As the most populous state, California has the most electoral college votes at 54. Photo courtesy of @californiasos_ on Instagram Article 2, Section 1 sets up the electoral college \u2014 the process that actually elects the president, not the popular vote. \u00a0 There\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Constitution&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Constitution","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/category\/constitution\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-California_Digital_I_Voted_Sticker_2020.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-California_Digital_I_Voted_Sticker_2020.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-California_Digital_I_Voted_Sticker_2020.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-California_Digital_I_Voted_Sticker_2020.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-California_Digital_I_Voted_Sticker_2020.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-California_Digital_I_Voted_Sticker_2020.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":359,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/impeachments\/","url_meta":{"origin":361,"position":1},"title":"Impeachments","author":"Mikayla Bunnell","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Capitol in Washington DC at night on Oct. 21, 2025. Articles of impeachment are introduced and passed by the House of Representatives and tried by the Senate. Photo by Lily Goldblatt. While the House has the sole power to bring about an impeachment according to Article 2, Section 2,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Constitution&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Constitution","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/category\/constitution\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/11\/DC_capitol_at_night_10212025-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/11\/DC_capitol_at_night_10212025-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/11\/DC_capitol_at_night_10212025-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/11\/DC_capitol_at_night_10212025-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/11\/DC_capitol_at_night_10212025-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/11\/DC_capitol_at_night_10212025-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":370,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/the-national-guard\/","url_meta":{"origin":361,"position":2},"title":"The National Guard","author":"Mikayla Bunnell","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Guard in Washington DC on ..... President Donald Trump mobilized 800 National Guard troops to DC on Aug. 15, 2025 to support local law enforcement. Photo by Amanda J. Crawford. Article 2, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution designates the president as the commander-in-chief of the army and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Constitution&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Constitution","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/category\/constitution\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/NATLGDDC2-CRAWFORD.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/NATLGDDC2-CRAWFORD.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/NATLGDDC2-CRAWFORD.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/NATLGDDC2-CRAWFORD.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/NATLGDDC2-CRAWFORD.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/NATLGDDC2-CRAWFORD.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":336,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/constitutional-crisis-or-executive-prerogative\/","url_meta":{"origin":361,"position":3},"title":"Constitutional crisis or executive prerogative?","author":"Mikayla Bunnell","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"How Trump's actions on due process, courts, elections and executive power stack up against our nation's founding document The Constitution of the United States, \"The Signing\" by artist Howard Chandler Christy, circa 1900. Courtesy of Library of Congress By Mikayla BunnellUConn Journalism \"We the People of the United States, in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Constitution&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Constitution","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/category\/constitution\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/signing-of-constitution-1900-Howard_Chandler_Christy-artist.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/signing-of-constitution-1900-Howard_Chandler_Christy-artist.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/signing-of-constitution-1900-Howard_Chandler_Christy-artist.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/signing-of-constitution-1900-Howard_Chandler_Christy-artist.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":372,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/tariffs\/","url_meta":{"origin":361,"position":4},"title":"Tariffs","author":"Mikayla Bunnell","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The parking lot of a Walmart grocery store. Consumer prices have been impacted by tariffs. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide if President Trump's tariffs are constitutional. Photo by Connor Sharp. Article 1, Section 8\u00a0establishes that Congress can regulate commercial activity between the U.S. federal government and foreign nations, between\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Constitution&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Constitution","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/category\/constitution\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-First3-grocery-ctore.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-First3-grocery-ctore.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-First3-grocery-ctore.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-First3-grocery-ctore.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-First3-grocery-ctore.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-First3-grocery-ctore.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":354,"url":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/courts\/","url_meta":{"origin":361,"position":5},"title":"Courts","author":"Mikayla Bunnell","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Federal courts have the authority to hear cases having to do with the Constitution, federal laws and treaties. The courts also hear cases where the U.S. is a party. Two different articles in the Constitution create federal judgeships: Article 1\u00a0and Article 3.\u00a0 Article 3\u00a0establishes most judgeships, University of Connecticut political\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Constitution&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Constitution","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/category\/constitution\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-Hettinger.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-Hettinger.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-Hettinger.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-Hettinger.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-Hettinger.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/EXEC-FIRST3-Hettinger.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgTa6m-5P","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1639,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361\/revisions\/1639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}