Source: https://neidleman.com/plschist-407-constitutional-law-2/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 08:18:49+00:00

Document:
In this course, we will study the Supreme Court and constitutional law from a variety of perspectives. We will study the court in its historical and political context, as one actor among many. We will study the court as a unique institution, exploring its internal workings and the style of reasoning it applies. We will also take a philosophical approach and explore the meanings and implications of the court’s jurisprudence on fundamental rights and liberties.
There are four objectives to this course. First, you should develop an understanding of the role of the judiciary in shaping our society and our system of government. Second, you should become familiar with the most important principles of constitutional law. Third, you should develop the ability to summarize court cases into concise legal briefs. Fourth, you should develop an ability to use precedents, logic and evidence to evaluate Supreme Court decisions.
Throughout the course, I would like you to think about this general question: Does the law in America serve as a force for justice, democracy, and liberation or as a bulwark of privilege, oligarchy, and oppression?
1. Demonstrate critical thinking, writing and research skills with respect to Supreme Court jurisprudence.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of approaches to constitutional interpretation.
3. Apply methods of Constitutional interpretation to specific Supreme Court cases.
Select texts are available on Blackboard.
This course will emphasize critical reading and analysis of the assigned texts. Class meetings will be discussion-oriented, revolving around the presentation and adjudication of cases by all members of the class. Two to four students will present cases, while the rest of us question them and decide the case. All of this means that readings must be completed before the class meeting in which they will be discussed. When you are doing the readings, keep in mind that you will be expected to participate in the debates outlined in the readings, reject some positions, embrace others, and defend the choices you make. During class discussion you are not expected to have fully developed points of view about the course materials. But you are expected to participate. No one will be penalized for being wrong or imprecise, for expressing uncertainty or frustration, for changing their minds. But it should be clear that you are trying, that you have done the readings and are working toward a mastery of the material.
Both exams and both legal briefs must be completed to pass this course.
Think Pieces: All students are responsible for writing one double-spaced page on one or more topics in that week’s readings (i.e. the readings scheduled for the following day’s class meeting). The think pieces will be due by 7:00 pm on Wednesday (uploaded to SafeAssign on Blackboard). This is a very firm deadline. I need to have time to read the papers before we meet on Thursday. No think piece is required for the week of the midterm or the weeks when written briefs are due.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given periodically. I will write one question on the board at the end of class. This question will reflect our discussion and/or the assigned reading for the day. Students will have ten minutes to answer this question. The quizzes will be assessed on the same scale used for the think pieces.
Supersized Legal Briefs: Each student must prepare two legal briefs (for guidelines on how to write a brief, see pp. 727-8 of the casebook). The briefs should be about 1500 words in length.
The cases we read are always abridged. This means that, when you compose your legal briefs, you will generally need to go somewhat beyond the scope of the course materials. See p. 727 of the casebook and our Blackboard site for internet resources. You might also look at law school casebooks or secondary literature on the cases you are researching.
All legal briefs must be submitted to SafeAssign on Blackboard by 11:59 pm on the day the case is argued. Late papers will be penalized at the rate of one grade per day. All papers must be submitted in Microsoft Word. No PDFs.
What are the relevant passages from the Constitution?
Were separation of powers issues and/or federalism implicated in the case? If so, how?
What method(s) of legal interpretation were applied in the case?
What were the relevant precedents and how were they interpreted?
For each case you brief, you will also make oral arguments in class. The other class members and I will sit as the court, hearing your arguments and asking questions. For this assignment, students will sometimes work alone, sometimes in groups with two students arguing as a team on each side of the case. You will be assessed both on your presentation skills and on the brief. Attendance at the class sessions at which you will present is mandatory and cannot be rearranged or made-up if missed.
When cases are presented in class, each legal team will be given 5-8 minutes to present their principal arguments. Following each presentation, there will be a 5-10 minute question and answer period where the court will pose questions. After both initial presentations are complete, each side will be given 3-5 minutes for a rebuttal. Following rebuttals, the court will deliberate and then decide the case. Though you are required to write two briefs, you may be asked to make oral arguments for a third case.
Exams: Exams will be a combination of essay, short answer and multiple choice questions.
Attendance and Participation: Attendance and punctuality are basic requirements for an effective discussion. Beyond that, each student’s frequency and quality of contribution to the class discussion will be assessed and reflected in the class participation score. Students who miss more than two classes will automatically suffer a deduction of one-third of a grade (e.g. a B+ becomes a B). Students who miss more than seven classes will suffer a full grade deduction (e.g. a B+ becomes a C+). Students who are in class but do not have the assigned reading IN HARD COPY will be considered absent. Multiple instances of tardiness will also result in a deduction of one-third of a grade.
Why was the Constitution of the United States drafted and ratified?
What role do separation of powers and balance of powers play in the Constitution?
What were the arguments against the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution?
Why does the Constitution require interpretation?
What are the various ways cases can come to the Supreme Court?
What are the different approaches to the interpretation of the Constitution? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches?
What factors do Supreme Court Justices consider in the adjudication of cases? What factors should they consider?
What approaches to Constitutional interpretation were used in Gregg v. Georgia? How were they used?
What powers are given to the Supreme Court by the Constitution?
What are the provisions of the Judiciary Act of 1789?
What are natural law and positive law? How are they embodied in the Constitution?
What is judicial independence? Why did the Founders insist on it?
What is jurisdiction? When does the Supreme Court have jurisdiction?
What is a writ of mandamus? What role did this power play in Marbury v. Madison?
What questions were at stake in Marbury v. Madison?
What was resolved in Marbury v. Madison and what was left unresolved?
What are McCloskey’s criticism of formalism?
What are the constraints on judicial power?
How did Fletcher v. Peck affect the power of the Supreme Court?
What is “ancient liberty”? Why does Breyer want to “call increased attention” to it?
According to Breyer, what should a judge consider in making a decision?
What are the democratic and non-democratic elements of the Constitution?
Are campaign finance laws constitutional? On what grounds?
How does the principle of active liberty help to resolved disputes over federalism?
Why do privacy cases pose such a challenge for judges?
Is affirmative action critical to democracy?
What is the “text-based” approach? What is wrong with it, in Breyer’s view?
What are the dangers associated with considering purpose and consequence in adjudication?
What constraints does Article III place on judicial power?
What are original and appellate jurisdiction?
What was at stake in Ex parte McCardle?
What is justiciability? Give an example.
What is standing? Who has it?
How was the Court able to become the final arbiter of Constitutionality?
What was at stake in Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee?
What was at stake in McCulloch v. Maryland?
Is it the American people or the states that empower the Constitution?
Is Congressional power limited to that which is explicitly stated in the Constitution?
Can Congress add qualifications to serve in Congress beyond those specified in Article I? Answer with reference to Powell v. McCormack and/or U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton.
What is the “implied powers” doctrine?
Why did Justice Marshall believe McCulloch v. Maryland was his most important decision? Why was Thomas Jefferson opposed to the decision?
What is the purpose of the power to investigate? What are the limits on Congress’s power to investigate? Answer with reference to Barenblatt v. U.S.
What is Justice Black’s argument in his dissent to Barenblatt?
Why would Congress ever want to delegate powers given to it by the Constitution? Under what circumstances is the delegation of power permitted?
What are the “mere designation of office” theory and the “general grant of power” theory? What implications does each one have for executive power?
Are there any circumstances under which the President may refuse to enforce a law? Answer with reference to Train v. City of New York.
What is the line-item veto? Is it constitutional? Answer with reference to Clinton v. City of New York.
What are executive privilege and executive immunity? What are the limitations on each one? Answer with reference to Mississippi v. Johnson, Nixon v. Fitzgerald, and/or Clinton v. Jones.
Does the President require Congressional approval to send soldiers to war? Answer with reference to the War Powers Act?
What is habeas corpus? On what grounds may it be delayed, denied, or deferred?
What are enemy combatants? How, if at all, do their rights differ from those of American citizens?
Is the Constitution a contract among the people of the United States or among the states? What are the arguments on either side?
What was the purpose of the 10th Amendment?
What are exclusive and concurrent powers?
What are the theories of dual federalism and cooperative federalism?
Summarize Justice Taney’s opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford?
How did the Court interpret the commerce clause in Hammer v. Dagenhart?
Why did Dred Scott disempower the Supreme Court as a political institution?
What is commerce? Answer with reference to Gibbons v. Ogden.
When does commerce become interstate, according to Justice Marshall?
What is the doctrine of “direct effects?” How does it compare with the “stream of commerce” doctrine?
What was the “switch in time that saved nine?” How did it affect the Court’s interpretation of the commerce clause?
How did the Court limit Congress’s power to regulate commerce in U.S. v. Lopez and U.S. v. Morrison?
Why did lawmakers turn to the commerce clause to legislate civil liberties? Why didn’t they rely on the 14th Amendment?
What was Congress’s legal rationale for the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act? Answer with reference to Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S. and Katzenbach v. McClung.
What was the basis of the Supreme Court’s decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius?
Why were contracts so often broken around the time of the Founding?
What was the basis of Marshall’s decision in Fletcher v. Peck?
How did the Taney Court modify the Marshall Court’s doctrine on the contract clause?
What did the Court weigh against the plaintiffs’ contract clause arguments in Charles River Bridge and Stone v. Mississippi?
How did interpretation of the contract clause change during the Great Depression?
Does the meaning of the Constitution change during times of emergency? Answer with reference to Home Building and Loan Association v. Blaisdell?
Why is substantive due process a largely discredited doctrine?
What is social Darwinism? How did it impact Constitutional jurisprudence?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Lochner v. New York?
Is the Muller decision consistent with Lochner or are the two decisions incompatible? Why?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Adkins v. Children’s Hospital?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in West Coast Hotel v. Parrish?
How does the standard of a “valid secular policy” limit freedom of religion?
How does the distinction between belief and action limit freedom of religion?
On what grounds has the Court held that public school students can be compelled to recite the pledge of allegiance?
What is the Sherbert-Yoder Compelling Interest Test? Is it more or less restrictive of religious liberty than the “valid secular policy” standard?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Oregon v. Smith?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby? How did the Court’s rationale in this decision differ from its rationale in Oregon v. Smith?
After 1937, where did the Court define a role for itself?
Was the Court’s approach to freedom of expression consistent with Justice Stone’s famous footnote in Carolene Products?
How did the Court intervene on issues of racial discrimination during this period?
How might the establishment clause come into conflict with the free exercise clause?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Everson v. Board of Education?
Under what circumstances, if any, is prayer in public schools constitutional?
In avoiding the establishment of religion, has the Court infringed on free exercise?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Abbington v. Schempp?
What was the basis of Justice Brennan’s dissent in Lynch, Mayor of Pawtucket v. Donnelly?
When, if ever, are religious displays permitted in public places?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Griswold v. Connecticut? What was the basis of Justice Black’s dissent?
Where, if anywhere, does the Constitution protect a right of privacy?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade? What values did the Court balance? How did it balance those values?
How has the right to abortion been limited since Roe?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Bowers v. Hardwick?
What was the basis of Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion in Lawrence v. Texas? How did Justice O’Connor’s concurring opinion differ? What was the basis of Justice Scalia’s dissent? Of Justice Thomas’ dissent?
What was the basis of Judge Walker’s opinion in Perry et al v. Schwarzenegger?
What constitutional values are being balanced in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Division?
Historically, what has the right to counsel guaranteed? How did Gideon v. Wainwright change this?
What did the Framers intend to ban through the 8th Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment?
Does the death penalty constitute cruel and unusual punishment? What are the arguments for and against this claim?
How do you think McCloskey would have evaluated the Warren Court?
What are civil rights? How are they different from civil liberties?
Whatdoes the equal protection clause mandate? What is required to make an equal protection claim?
What is discrimination? When is discrimination justified?
What are the rational basis test, strict scrutiny, and compelling state interest? How do these standards differ in the way they constrain state action?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education?
In Brown, the NAACP contended that schools could not be “separate but equal,” that separate schools are inherently unequal. Do you agree?
Should the Court use sociological evidence?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder?
Does the Constitution prohibit discrimination on the basis of income? Discuss with reference to San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez.
Does the Constitution prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation? Discuss with reference to Romer v. Evans.
Must justice be color blind, as Justice Harlan argued in his dissent to Plessy?
Was Alan Bakke a victim of racial discrimination?
Do affirmative action programs meet the standard of strict scrutiny?
Under what conditions is affirmative action constitutional? Answer with reference to UC Regents v. Bakke and Grutter v. Bollinger?
What is the preamble of the Second Amendment? To what extent does it constrain the rest?
Does the Constitution guarantee a collective right to a militia or an individual right to bear arms? Answer with respect to District of Columbia v. Heller?
In the aftermath of Heller, how much may the state constitutionally regulate the possession of firearms?
What standard of protection do campaign contributions warrant?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Buckley v. Valeo?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission?
What was the basis of the Court’s decision in Citizen’s United v. FEC?
Reading: Janus v. AFSCME: Amy Howe (SCOTUSblog) and Cornell Legal Information Institute; Gill v. Whitford: Amy Howe (SCOTUSblog) and Cornell Legal Information Institute; Trump v. Hawaii: Amy Howe (SCOTUSblog) and Cornell Legal Information Institute. All readings are on Blackboard.
What is an agency fee? On what grounds does Janus argue they are unconstitutional? How does AFSCME respond?
What is the free-rider problem?
How might a ruling for Janus affect private sector unions?
On what grounds does Whitford argue that partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional? How does Gill respond?
What is being balanced in this case?
Does the travel ban include an invidious form of discrimination?
Is the ban narrowly tailored to achieve its goal?
Plagiarism is a but highly unethical practice. Plagiarism will result in the immediate failure of this course and disciplinary action which could lead to expulsion from the University. If you are having problems in the course, please come and talk to me about it rather than doing something that could put your entire college career in jeopardy.
Laptops and Cell Phones: Laptops may not be used in class. Cell phones must be turned off AND put away during class meetings. Students who use laptops or cell phones without explicit permission to do so will be considered absent.
Supersized Legal Briefs: Each student must prepare two legal briefs (for guidelines on how to write a brief, see pp. 760-761 of the casebook). The briefs should be about 1500 words in length.
The cases we read are always abridged. This means that, when you compose your legal briefs, you will generally need to go somewhat beyond the scope of the course materials. See p. 766 of the casebook and our Blackboard site for internet resources. You might also look at law school casebooks or secondary literature on the cases you are researching.
All legal briefs must be submitted to SafeAssign on Blackboard by 11:59 pm on the day the case is argued. Late papers will be penalized at the rate of one grade per day.
Attendance and Participation: Attendance and punctuality are basic requirements for an effective discussion. Beyond that, each student’s frequency and quality of contribution to the class discussion will be assessed and reflected in the class participation score. Students who miss more than four classes will automatically suffer a deduction of one-third of a grade (e.g. a B+ becomes a B). Students who miss more than seven classes will suffer a full grade deduction (e.g. a B+ becomes a C+). Students who are in class but do not have the assigned reading IN HARD COPY will be considered absent.
A prevalent but highly unethical practice is plagiarism. Plagiarism will result in the immediate failure of this course and disciplinary action which could lead to expulsion from the University. If you are having problems in the course please come and talk to me about it rather than doing something that could put your entire college career in jeopardy.

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