State Courts &St Constitutions

Catalog description

Elective Course Course Requirement: paper During the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court took an expansive view of the federal Constitution?s protections for civil rights and liberties, such as voting and privacy rights. The Court has since retreated from that view, placing a spotlight on another potential source of protection for individual rights and liberties?state constitutions. Important and difficult questions now arise about the extent to which state courts should interpret provisions of their own constitutions in conformity with the U.S. Supreme Court?s interpretations of analogous provisions of the federal Constitution. In this one-credit elective seminar, which meets in person six times, our initial focus will be on the history, nature, and significance of state constitutional law. Students will participate in class discussions and write a 2,500-word (approximately 10-page) paper.