American Courts: Structure, People & Process (LAW-838-001)
Wheeler
Meets: 04:00 PM - 05:50 PM (T) - Room 351
Enrolled: 8 / Limit: 12
Notices
There are no notices at this time.
Description
Explores the factors that shape trial and appellate courts in the United States. These factors are of major public policy interest to all lawyers and of direct practical interest to lawyers who anticipate working in the courts temporarily as law clerks or regularly as litigators. The seminar examines how courts are organized and structured, and pressures to create new courts to deal with new problems (e.g., drug courts), the processes for creating rules governing procedures and efforts to shape those roles to favor participants in the judicial process; the various methods in the U.S. for selecting judges, the contentiousness that affects judicial selection at the state and federal levels and its impact and; the ethical rules that seek to regulate judicial behavior off the bench and the mechanisms for dealing with judicial disability and misbehavior. The course also considers public and private sources of education for judges and efforts to influence judicial knowledge and attitudes about basic aspects of judging as well as complex scientific and technical matters, the processes and politics of adopting and amending rules of procedure, and the role of judges in managing litigation and controversies over perceived effects of aggressive case management (e.g., the decline in the trial rate).
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.
In lieu of a standard textbook, the course uses an instructor-prepared “course packet” available through the WCL copy center. The packet includes original descriptive material prepared by the instructor as well as articles from academic and popular sources, judicial decisions, and other original material.
First Class Readings
Not available at this time.