State and Local Government

3 Credit Hours

State & Local Government Law Course Description - Spring Semester 2017: The course is designed for the generalist seeking an understanding of state and local government law. It is a practice-based and practice-oriented course, and will provide an overview of the inner workings of state and local governments (including the land development process) that will benefit any future practitioner who may be encountering such governments in their future practice. The course is taught by two practicing municipal law attorneys at Chicago law firms, who provide real-time experiences of representing, and appearing before, local city councils and village boards. Both previously co-taught this same course with the legendary Northwestern Professor Dawn Clark Netsch. The course explores an essentially structural approach to intergovernmental relations, analyzing the tri-partite distribution of powers both vertically and horizontally--the federal-state-local levels of government and their interrelationship; the legislative-executive-judicial branches of government and their interaction. The course will cover such areas as local government powers, home rule, incorporation and annexation, intergovernmental conflicts (border wars), land use and zoning, state and local finances, economic incentives including tax increment financing (TIF), governmental liability and immunity, and constitutional law affecting government action (including First, Second, and Fifth Amendment topics). There will be an interactive, mock Village Board session where students will have the ability to role play and interact as local government elected officials, developer applicants, and community activists. Evaluation: There will be a final self-scheduled web exam. Grades will be based on the final exam as well as class participation. Teaching method: Lecture and discussion, and interactive sessions The course is open to second, and third year law students. There are no prerequisites to taking this course. It is not necessary to have studied constitutional law or property law prior to taking this course. A primer on constitutional law will be provided as part of the course materials.