Advanced Federal Courts

Catalog description

This advanced course in structural constitutional law builds on concepts, doctrines, and themes developed in Federal Courts. Modern doctrines attempting to reconcile federalism, the supremacy of federal law, separation of powers, and the specific jurisdictional limitations of Article III judicial power raise complex questions about the nature and scope of judicial review, remedies, the adversary system, and alternatives to adjudication, among other subjects. This course is designed to allow students to deepen their expertise and explore discrete topics in a tutorial-style format with the instructor. Individual topics will be selected on the basis of student interest in consultation with the instructor, appropriate reading will be selected for analysis and discussion (generally by using a canonical or innovative text as a springboard), and students will be guided in the development of novel doctrines, theories, and practical solutions to some of the most vexing issues in the field. Evaluation will be based on participation in mentored research and tutorial engagement as well as the creativity, prose quality, and persuasiveness of the paper. Students may take the course for 3 units. The paper requirement is 10-12 pages for each unit. With the consent of the instructor, students may elect to write an independent research paper for R-credit. After the term begins, students approved for R-credit can transfer from section (01) into section (02) which meets the R requirement. Elements used in grading: Written Assignments, Final Paper. Prerequisite: Federal Courts. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS website (Click Courses at the bottom of the homepage and then click Consent of Instructor Forms). See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline.