SMNR: Supreme Court

Course Information

Registration Information

Meeting Times

Day Time Location
MON 3:30 - 5:20 pm TNH 3.129

Evaluation Method

Type Date Time Location
Paper

Description

This seminar is based on the traditional "Supreme Court Seminar" formerly offered at Texas by the late Charles Alan Wright. Students participate as Justices of the United States Supreme Court, the professor as Chief Justice. The "Justices" meet in "conference" once a week to thrash out the issues in a case currently before the Supreme Court, and to try to achieve a majority for decision of the issues raised. Students will have had the previous week to serve as their own clerks, familiarizing themselves with the selected case.The seminar affords solid exposure to some of the Court's more controversial and interesting current cases and to actual professional materials of importance, while providing experience in analysis of legal issues through focused lawyerly argument. As a useful side benefit the seminar also provides some background in the range of fields of law involved in the selected cases. The required written work is in the form of a well-crafted Supreme Court majority opinion. Enrollment is strictly limited to 12 students.