Federal Jurisdiction

3 Credit Hours

This course examines the role and responsibilities of the federal courts in this country's system of government. Particular attention is paid to the structural principles of separation of powers and federalism. Topics to be considered include the origins and functions of the federal judiciary; the justiciability doctrines of standing, ripeness, and mootness; congressional power to control the jurisdiction of the federal courts; legislative courts; state courts and federal power; the various sources of federal jurisdiction; federal common law; state sovereign immunity; the various abstention doctrines; and the role of the Supreme Court.