Law and Morality

Catalog description

How do law and morality intersect? Is it possible for them to intersect? Is it possible for them to be separated? What do our best thinkers, including, Supreme Court justices, have to say about these matters? In addition to the moral content of the law (or lack thereof), there is the question of how the law is to approach moral issues. We will explore different ways we understand the content of law and morality but also the proper manner in which lawmakers and the Supreme Court should implement a moral vision. The Supreme Court has controversially stepped into the moral arena with a variety of its rulings. While it occasionally claims not to be ruling on moral issues, very often its own rulings betray a particular understanding of the relationship between law and morality. In this class we will explore broad theories of law and morality as well as specific Court cases and issues that implicate a relationship between law and morality.