S. Election Law

Course Information

Course Number
L8516
Curriculum Level
Upperclass
Areas of Study
Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Interdisciplinary Legal Studies, Lawyering, Racial, Economic, and Social Justice
Type
Seminar

Section 001 Information

Instructor

Section Description

This two-credit, two-hour weekly seminar provides a practical overview of election law issues from the perspective of a non-partisan actor (as opposed to, say, a lawyer for a candidate or a political party). Seminar members will consider issues like felony disenfranchisement, voter roll maintenance, mail ballot access, and redistricting. The seminar members will explore the practical and theoretical issues practitioners face when litigating voting rights cases.

By the end of the semester, each seminar participant can expect to: (1) cover the doctrinal foundations and governing legal and statutory framework in each of the covered areas; (2) become familiar with the influence that litigators, scholars, activists, and policymakers have in shaping the public narrative on election law; and (3) research and draft a range of public-facing arguments used by modern practitioners in present-day election law disputes.

The readings will include legal materials, traditional academic writings, popular articles, empirical studies, and policy reports.

Note: several course meetings will take place off-campus.

School Year & Semester
Spring 2024
Location
JGH 304
Schedule
Class meets on
  • Wednesday
6:20 pm - 8:10 pm
Points
2
Method of Evaluation
Paper
J.D Writing Credit?
No

Learning Outcomes

Primary
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in a specific body of law, including major policy concerns
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in doctrinal analysis, including close reading of cases and precedents, and application to facts
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in jurisprudential considerations in legal analysis
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in statutory and regulatory analysis, including close reading of statutes and regulations, and application to facts
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in use of other disciplines in the analysis of legal problems and institutions, e.g., philosophy; economics,other social sciences; and cultural studies
  • At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in various lawyering skills, for example, oral advocacy, legal writing and drafting, legal research, negotiation, and client communication

Course Limitations

Instructor Pre-requisites
None
Instructor Co-Requisites
None
Requires Permission
No
Recommended Courses
Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure
Other Limitations
None