Course Schedule

The ABA Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Cases (2003) state that “the responsibilities of defense counsel in a death penalty case are uniquely demanding, both in the knowledge that counsel must possess and in the skills he or she must master.” This advanced death penalty course studies various aspects of capital trial defense that must be mastered to meet contemporary standards of practice. The course addresses defense counsel’s duty to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the client’s social history; counsel’s duty to identify and investigate issues of trauma, race, culture, and mental health presented by the client and the case; counsel’s duty to pursue a negotiated settlement of the case; and counsel’s duty to develop an integrated theory of the case. Classes alternate between traditional lectures and class discussion of assigned readings, presentations by occasional guest speakers, and workshops in which students will apply course reading and instruction to a series of lawyering assignments related to an actual pending capital case.

This course will examine historic and contemporary issues of race and the death penalty within American law and jurisprudence. Through this course, students will learn substantive principles; study the growing body of critical legal scholarship covering the matter; and examine the potential (and limits) of the law. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze the interplay between race and the death penalty; acquire tools to think critically about its legal framework and engage with the role of racialized identities in its use. Utilizing – among other things -- case law, statutory interpretation, statistical data, legal scholarship and legislative efforts, the course will undertake the project of grappling with a real-world example of the racialized nature of the death penalty.

As the ABA Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Cases (2003) state, “the responsibilities of defense counsel in a death penalty case are uniquely demanding, both in the knowledge that counsel must possess and in the skills he or she must master.” This advanced death penalty course will study various aspects of capital trial defense that must be mastered to meet contemporary standards of practice in these uniquely difficult and complex cases. Among the topics to be addressed in the course will include defense counsel’s duty to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the client’s social history; counsel’s duty to identify and investigate issues of trauma, race, culture, and mental health presented by the client and the case; counsel’s duty to pursue a negotiated settlement of the case; and counsel’s duty to develop an integrated theory of the case. These topics will be examined through a wide range of readings including professional guidelines and standards, judicial opinions, academic articles from various fields of study, and lawyering treatises and training materials. Course Requirements Students are expected to attend all classes, do all the reading, and actively participate in class discussion about their reading assignments. Class participation is critical and will be taken into account in grading. Over the course of the semester, students will be assigned to write a series of papers applying the course curriculum to issues presented by actual death penalty cases, as well as a final paper synthesizing the shorter papers into a comprehensive case analysis.

PREREQUISITE OR CO-REQUISITE: Capital Punishment (278R or 378R).

Over 32 million children in the United States grow up poor or near-poor, which means two out of every five kids in America faces increased risk of worse health, education, and future economic outcomes. While many US policies, social enterprises, and nonprofit organizations aim to improve life trajectories for vulnerable youths, some are more effective than others. This course explores pro-child interventions with experiences inside and outside the classroom before giving students the opportunity to take their own shot at improving outcomes for children in-need.

This course, which aims to prepare effective civic entrepreneurs and advocates, answers three fundamental questions about disparities among America’s children:

1. What do experts say? Alongside guest lectures, debates, and panels with subject expertise, students will investigate social issues impacting children’s health and wellbeing. We will study the evidence on inequalities, debate US government programs and policies, and explore examples of relevant social enterprises and nonprofits.
2. What do children (and their families) say? Students have the opportunity to see US social policy and programming up-close by e-travelling with Dr. Mike’s “Street Pediatrics” team, a mobile clinic serving children experiencing homelessness and poverty. Our intent is to learn from local families and children facing the problems we will work to solve.
3. What do you say do? Applying lessons from both the classroom and community, student-entrepreneurs will practice human-centered design in interdisciplinary teams alongside community partner organizations to develop and pitch plans for products or services aimed at improving life trajectories for vulnerable children.

OBJECTIVES

• To help students develop a deeper understanding of domestic social and economic problems, their impact on children’s life trajectories, and the policies and entrepreneurial programs trying to mitigate their effects.
• To give students an advocacy platform via writing to both lay readers and policy leaders.
• To dive deep into the many steps and principles of human-centered design and hypothesis-driven startups—a skillset students can deploy in future studies and careers.
• To provide an opportunity for students to apply lessons learned in both the classroom and community to build and pitch their own plans for practical solutions to child suffering.

EXPECTATIONS

Students will be evaluated based on class participation and performance on four assignments: (1) 500-word Memo to the President; (2) 650-word Opinion Editorial; (3) first and final drafts of a business plan; and (4) final class deliverables, including a one-pager, PowerPoint deck, and 5-minute pitch on their new organization.

READINGS:

Readings may include academic articles, book chapters, listening to podcasts, and lay media pieces. The majority of reading assignments will be required for the first six classes. Students will spend more time working with their teams and community partners during the latter classes when less required readings are assigned.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.