Current Issues in US Constitutional Law
SLN #: 20714Course Prefix: LAW-691
Course Section: 1004
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor(s): Bender
Course Books: View List of Books
Course Description:
This is an advanced course that addresses current important issues in U.S. Constitutional law. The topics each year depend on the issues that are prominent at the time the course is given. For the Spring, 2022 semester, the topics will include important cases that the U.S. Supreme Court has just decided or will decide during its 2021-2022 Term, such as the Court’s refusal to prevent the implementation of a Texas statute that prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, the case in which the Court will decide whether Roe v. Wade should be overruled or modified, and a Second Amendment challenge to New York’s prohibition on the carriage of concealed weapons. The topics will also include important issues that have not yet reached the Supreme Court, such as the constitutionality of the recent upsurge of state legislation affecting voting rights. There will also be discussion of general issues such as the extent to which President Trump’s three appointments to the Supreme Court have affected or will affect the development of constitutional law, whether there are good reasons to change the life-tenure system or the size of the Supreme Court, and whether the Court has improperly been using a “shadow docket” to resolve important constitutional questions.
Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Pass/Fail Only
Written Assignment: No
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Final Exam Given: Yes
Final Exam Type: In-Class - Completely Unsecure
Mid Term Or Other Exam: No
Paper Or In-Class Presentation: No
Participation Points: No
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
Teaching Method: In Person
* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.