Course Section | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

Preference given to third-year students.
Supervised research and writing on subjects related to race and poverty issues, including legal questions currently being litigated by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Discussion of and readings on past litigation in the areas of schools, employment, voting rights, housing, welfare, and capital punishment. Where possible, students will observe "dry runs" of actual cases to be argued in the Supreme Court and courts of appeal. Students may undertake factual and legal research, participate in the formulation of strategies for arguing cases in the Supreme Court and other tribunals, and prepare draft briefs and memoranda of law. Regular class sessions are held, at which students discuss cases, legal writing, and other materials concerning race and poverty issues. The seminar also includes class presentations at which each student receives criticism and direction on research and written work.