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Constitutional sheriffs are a self-described group of right-wing sheriffs that believe and act as though the elected county sheriff if the highest authority of the law within their jurisdiction, with the power to deem federal and state laws unconstitutional, and therefore, refuse to enforce them. In this thesis, I argue that constitutional sheriff ideology centers counties as the locus of authority and legitimacy, upending the traditional understanding of federalism, originating from Western and Southern political cultures. Constitutional sheriff ideology is shaped by the geographical region and contemporary right-wing movements in the American West and South. Anti-federal ideology is central to constitutional sheriff ideology, and similar right-wing movements.

In humans, DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ) holoenzymes, comprised of Pol δ and the processivity sliding clamp, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), carry out DNA synthesis during lagging strand DNA replication, initiation of leading strand DNA replication, and the major DNA damage repair and tolerance pathways. Pol δ holoenzymes are assembled at primer/template (P/T) junctions and initiate DNA synthesis in a coordinated process involving the major single strand DNA-binding protein complex, replication protein A (RPA), the processivity sliding clamp loader, replication factor C (RFC), PCNA, and Pol δ. Each of these factors interact uniquely with a P/T junction and most directly engage one another. Currently, the interplay between these macromolecular interactions is largely unknown. In the present study, novel Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) assays reveal that dynamic interactions of RPA with a P/T junction during assembly of a Pol δ holoenzyme and initiation of DNA synthesis maintain RPA at a P/T junction and accommodate RFC, PCNA, and Pol δ, maximizing the efficiency of each process. Collectively, these studies significantly advance our understanding of human DNA replication and DNA repair., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article.1