American Courts: Structure, People, Processes, Politics (LAW-838-001)
Wheeler
Meets: (CANCELLED)
Enrolled: / Limit:
Notices
There are no notices at this time.
Description
This seminar examines trial and appellate courts in the United States, with an emphasis on federal courts. It covers factors influencing how courts are organized and how they govern themselves; methods of selecting judges and the roles of executive branch officials, legislators, political parties and interest groups, the bar, judges and would-be judges in the process; the ethical rules that govern judges and mechanisms for dealing with alleged judicial disability and misconduct; how various public and private interests seek to affect judges’ continuing education about basic aspects of judging as well as complex scientific and technical matters; the processes and politics of adopting and amending rules of procedure; how judges and legislators interact about legislation that may affect the administration of justice, including the funding of the judicial branch; the uneasy relationship between courts and the news media that communicate judicial decisions and court activities to the public; and special topics, such as the debate over the proper role of trial judges in managing litigation and encouraging settlement and whether those activities are causing a deleterious decline in the proportion of cases terminated by trial, and whether the nation's appellate system can maintain small, collegial appellate courts in the face of increasing appellate caseloads.
Students who have obtained or who are seeking judicial clerkships may find this course valuable as an orientation to the environment in which clerks work, although it is not a course specifically for would-be law clerks.
Textbook: Instead of a standard textbook, the course readings are supplemental readings available for standard purchase at the law school, located in Room 465.
Grade determinants are active class participation and three relatively short essays (1,000; 2,250; 2,500 words, +/-) based on the readings assigned for class discussion.
Textbooks and Other Materials
The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.
First Class Readings
Not available at this time.