Fourteenth Amendment

Catalog description

Divided into three unequal parts, first explores the antebellum antecedents that are relevant to understanding the Fourteenth Amendment. In the second part, studies the early interpretations of the Fourteenth Amendment, from about 1873 to about 1955. In the third, longest part of the course, explores modern interpretations of the Fourteenth Amendment, and particularly the application of 'equal protection' to race and sex discrimination; the application of 'substantive due process' and fundamental rights adjudication to sexual intimacy, abortion rights and same-sex marriage; and the debate over the incorporation of the bill of rights against the states.