Courses

This seminar explores major features of U.S. constitutional law through close examination of selected decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Through student discussion and some lecturing, the seminar addresses issues arising from the Constitution's allocation of power among the three branches of government; the allocation of powers between the National and State governments, including, in particular, the scope of Congress' regulatory powers; and the protection of the individual from arbitrary and discriminatory government conduct, including the protections of the Fifth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments against unequal treatment based on race, gender and sexual orientation, the evolution of the concept of liberty from its protection of economic interests before the New Deal to its current role in protecting individual autonomy and privacy, and some aspects of the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech and press. More generally the seminar aims to enhance understanding of some main aspects of our constitutional tradition and the judicial process by which it is elaborated.