The U.S. Supreme Court

3 Credit Hours

This course is designed to introduce students to the state of the art in legal and social-scientific work on the U.S. Supreme Court and to help them translate the research in ways that will be useful for the practice of law. Topics include appointments to the Court; the internal deliberative processes of the justices in reaching their decisions; relations between and among the Court and the elected branches of government; the role of law clerks, interest groups, and attorneys; and the impact of judicial decisions. An important goal of the course is to consider how an external perspective from social-scientific studies of the Court can help us to understand the law and the art of lawyering. Teaching and Evaluation Methods: -Class Participation: Attendance and participation are required and make up 20% of your grade. -Writing Assignments: Two short essays each worth 20% of final grade, and one final essay (approx. 10 pp.) worth 40% of the final grade. Course Materials: Segal, Jeffrey A., Harold J. Spaeth and Sara C. Benesh. 2005. The Supreme Court in the American Legal System. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521780381, 9780521780384 Epstein, Lee and Jeffrey Segal. 2005. Advice and Consent: The Politics of Judicial Appointment. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195300211, 9780195300215 Baird, Vanessa A. 2007. Answering the Call of the Court: How Justices and Litigants Set the Supreme Court Agenda. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. ISBN 0813925827, 9780813925820 Epstein, Lee and Jack Knight. 1998. The Choices Justices Make. Congressional Quarterly Press. ISBN 1568022263, 9781568022260 Rosenberg, Gerald N. 1991. The Hollow Hope: Can Courts Bring About Social Change? University of Chicago Press. (or the newer edition that the bookstore has available). ISBN 0226726711, 9780226726717.