State and Local Government

Semester: Spring 2015
Course ID: 394P
Credit Hours: 3
Unique: 28885

Course Information

Grading Method: Pass/Fail Not Allowed

Registration Information

1L and upperclass elective

Meeting Times

Day	Time	Location
MON, WED	11:50 am - 1:05 pm	TNH 3.124

Evaluation Method

Type	Date	Time	Location
Final exam	May 8, 2015	1:30 pm	A-Z in 2.140

Description

When we speak of "government" in the law school curriculum, we too often forget that public governments in the United States include those of the 50 states and their more than 90,000 political subdivisions: 3,000 counties, 19,500 municipal corporations, 16,000 townships, 12,800 school districts, and 38,000 special districts. This offering focuses on America's sub-national governments in discussing questions such as: Which level of government (if any) should provide a particular good or service or regulate activity in a particular area? How should the goods and services provided by states and localities be paid for, and who should decide? How should our local "communities" be defined in practice, and who should decide? What is and should be the relationship that states and localities have with the federal government, their citizens, and other states and localities? In addition to traditional legal materials such as cases, statutes, ordinances, constitutional provisions, and law review articles, we will draw upon materials from a wide range of other disciplines: political theory, public choice theory, public finance, and political economy. Aspiring governors, senators, mayors, state attorneys general, and school board members welcome! Written requirements: Essay examination. Casebook: L. Baker, C. Gillette & D. Schleicher, Local Government Law: Cases and Materials (Foundation Press; 5th edition 2014). Prerequisite: None; 3 hours credit.

Textbooks ( * denotes required )

Local Government Law: Cases and Materials *

L. Baker, C. Gillette & D. Schleicher

Foundation Press , edition: 5th 2014
ISBN: 9781609303181

Instructors

Baker, Lynn A.