LAWE 686

Catalog description

If a cop frisks you when he shouldn't, can you collect damages from him? If a public school requires prayer before every class, what can you do stop the constitutional violation? If you call 911 and the dispatcher fails to dispatch an officer, have your rights been violated? These and many other questions are addressed in this class, the ultimate goal of which is to provide students with the knowledge necessary to enforce constitutional rights through litigation. Includes (1) several commonly-litigated constitutional rights (such as abuse by a police or corrections officer), (2) the types of defendants that can be sued, (3) the common defenses, and (4) the nature and scope of the available remedies. Also provides the opportunity to assess the underlying causes of official misconduct, the limits of litigation as a civil rights enforcement tool, and whether alternate means of enforcement might be preferable.