LAWE 747

Catalog description

In this seminar, students will explore how courts in the United States enforce constitutional rights—and how and why they sometimes do not.  Students will learn the causes of action, procedures, and remedies available to plaintiffs in constitutional cases, as well as the jurisdictional defenses and immunities available to government defendants.  Students will evaluate this system of constitutional rights enforcement wholistically and consider proposals for reform.  Major course themes will include the relationship between constitutional rights and remedies, the costs and benefits of enforcing constitutional rights through litigation, and the role of courts, legislatures, and the political process in constitutional rights enforcement.  Readings will consist of contemporary legal scholarship and case law.  Students will be evaluated based on class participation and a final paper on a topic of their choice.