Cutting-Edge Constitutional Litigation from the Trial Court to the Supreme Court

• Semester: Fall 2017
• Course ID: 279M
• Credit Hours: 2
• Unique: 29210

Description

Taught by Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller and Institute for Justice senior attorney Jeff Rowes, this two-credit course will teach students the theory and practice of strategic constitutional litigation. Students will learn how to design and execute a public-interest lawsuit, from framing legal claims to recruiting clients and drafting the complaint. The course will cover the special procedural challenges and ethical issues that arise in public-interest litigation, as well as the nuts and bolts of conducting discovery, effective motion practice, and appellate advocacy, including at the U.S. Supreme Court. We will also consider the government's perspective, both in defending state laws in court and challenging the actions of other government entities, particularly the federal government. Grades will be based on the completion of three short-to-medium-length written assignments (three to ten pages each) and a mock Supreme Court opinion as the finanl paper (15-20 pages). There is no exam. Pass/fail allowed.