Spring 2023
Professor(s):
Seth Chandler (FACULTY)
Credits: 4
Course Areas: 1st Year - Section A
Time: 9:00a-10:30a M,T,TH Location: 210
Course Outline: This course will help you understand the historical development of the Constitution, including the movement away from the Articles of Confederation, the originally narrow interpretation of federal power, the changes created by the Civil War, the modern scope of federal legislative, judicial, executive and administration power, the expansion of federal power during the New Deal era and the modern Constitution, including the evolution of due process and equal protection doctrine. It will help you appreciate, recognize and form your own beliefs regarding the different theories of interpreting the Constitution, textualism vs. non-textualism; static vs. dynamic; pragmatic vs. formalist. With its study of black letter doctrine in federalism, including the commerce clause and the scope of other Congressional powers, separation of powers, and the Civil War amendments, and a sampling of first amendment matters, it will lay the foundations for success on the bar exam and enable you to recognize constitutional law issues as they arise in practice. This course will make significant use of the problem method. Many will involve contemporary events (I think there may be some); others may be set in earlier times but require you to understand the Constitution and litigation strategies in that context. All will involve significant use of tutors to provide guidance in your movement towards solutions. There will be a midterm and a final.
Course Syllabus: Syllabus
Course Notes: (Hybrid) The UH registration system instruction mode for this course is listed in parenthesis. After student registration opens, there may be instruction mode changes to this course up through two weeks before the first day of classes for the term, but notice of such changes will be sent to then registered students. Hybrid means that some of the weekly class sessions are virtual, and some are face-to-face. By definition, the hybrid instruction mode only applies to a course that meets two or more times a week. The instructor’s syllabus should indicate which regular days are virtual and which are face-to-face. A physical classroom may be assigned for the virtual class sessions to give students a location in the Law Center to join them. If the course has a final examination, it will be conducted in a classroom in face-to-face mode requiring your physical presence. Other assessment, such as a mid-term exam, may also be in a classroom.
Prerequisites:
First Day Assignments:
Final Exam Schedule: 05/08 9am-1pm 210
This course will have:
Exam:
Paper:
Satisfies Senior Upper Level Writing Requirement: No
Experiential Course Type: No
Bar Course: No
DistanceEd ABA: No
Pass-Fail Student Election: Unavailable (Required Course)
Course Materials
Book(s) Required
Course Materials: Constitutional Law: Cases in Context, Fourth Edition; ISBN: 9781543849721