Judicial Opinion Writing

Course Number:
Law 479

Hours:
3

Course Type:
Upper-Level

Writing Requirement:
Rigorous Writing Experience (RWE)

Skills Requirement?:
Yes

Final Exam?:
No

Description:
The course is effectively an advanced course in constitutional law and enables students to engage in substantial writing and research and to gain useful experience in collegial decision-making. The course requires students to operate in groups of five, each of which will function as a mock Supreme Court. After introducing students to materials on how courts function and stare decisis, each student Court will choose to decide cases in one of two areas – the first amendment or equal protection/due process. Students courts will decide and write opinions in 3 cases (from the respective areas they have chosen) every two weeks. The instructor will meet with each Court periodically to discuss its progress and answer any questions they have. All courts will meet together at the beginning of the semester to learn the basic guidelines for the class and at the end when they discuss the lessons they learned from their respective experiences.

Instructor(s):
M. Gerhardt

Semester(s):
Fall