Federal Criminal Law

• Semester: Spring 2022
• Course ID: 383R
• Credit Hours: 3
• Unique: 28795

Description

Same as LAW 323F, Federal Criminal Law.

This is a one-semester three-unit course about substantive federal criminal law. This course will detail the prosecution and defense of criminal trials in federal court, focusing on the more frequently employed and complex areas, and on current hot topics. Class time will be devoted to mail, wire, and health care fraud, public corruption, money laundering, administration of justice offenses, the Controlled Substances Act, immigration offenses, and terrorism and weapons offenses. In addition, students will be alerted to the manner in which federal sanctions can be employed against lawyers, banks, and corporations. If time permits, we will review defenses and the plea bargaining and sentencing systems. Your grade will be based primarily upon a floating open-book essay exam, and in part upon class participation.  If we have no more than 20 students, the grade in this class will not be on a curve, and you will be asked to complete one or two in-class oral projects. Second-year students interested in the United States Attorney’s Office or Federal Public Defender's Office internships for their third year should consider taking this class first. This class does not significantly overlap with the Advanced Federal Criminal Prosecution & Defense seminar, and students are welcome to take both.