POLI 345 - Seminar on Litigation and Justice

1 unit(s)

This course focuses on the myriad ways that court litigants and litigators shape the law, judicial outcomes, and social understandings of justice through their choices and behavior. The primary focus in this seminar is civil litigation, and we discuss and analyze a range of cases concerning immigration, environmental justice, constitutional claims, qualified immunity, and employment law (e.g., race, sex, LGBT, disability, and wage claims). In our discussions, we also investigate the power of institutional litigants and organizations like the ACLU, the NAACP, Planned Parenthood, the Federalist Society, and the United States government, and the roles they play in shaping the legal system inside and outside the courthouse. In the latter part of the course, we discuss cases that highlight the law and politics of criminal sentencing. Throughout the course, we also address and examine the characteristics of law firms that engage in certain types of practice, the extent to which litigants and litigators influence judges and case outcomes, and ethical questions raised in lawyering and representing clients.

Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.

One 2-hour period.

Not offered in 2023/24.

Course Format: CLS