Brandeis University

Politics 115b

Seminar in Constitutional Law and Theory

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Politics 115b, Cases, Notes, and Readings

Politics 115b Cases, Alternate Site

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Hieros Gamos Guide to Civil Rights

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Madison's Notes on the Debates of the Constitutional Convention of 1787

Madison's Notes on the Debates of the Constitutional Convention of 1787

Constitutional Law Seminar On-line

Politics 115b

Spring, 2008

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW SEMINAR

This seminar focuses upon the role of the Supreme Court and the way in which it has shaped our political system through different methods of judicial review.

The source text is Daniel A. Farber et al, Constitutional Law, 3rd ed..

Students will be given individual case assignments for each class. Class discussions will revolve around cases students present. The text assignments will provide a common knowledge for the seminar, enabling all students to comment directly upon the cases individually presented.

Class discussion and participation will count for 60 percent of the grade. Class participation will include short papers students will write periodically on assigned cases and topics that they will present to the class. A major final paper will count for 40 percent of the grade.

Each week we will have a focus topic based upon cases and readings in the text. We will branch out from there as students will use web resources to do in depth examination and analysis or cases related to the focus topic.

Jan. 16

Jan. 23-28

A. Originalist Theories of Judicial Review. 120

1. Textualist Theory 121

2. Original Understanding 126

Robert H. Bork, The Tempting of America: The Political Seduction of the Law 127

B. Legal Process Theories of Judicial Review. 138

John Hart Ely, Democracy and Distrust: A Theory of JudicialReview 140

Notes on Representation Reinforcement and

Public Choice Theory. 145

Problem 2-2: Representation-Reinforcing Judicial Review of Affirmative Action.148

Note on Other Proceduralist Theories of Judicial Review 149

Note on the "Passive Virtues" and "Minimalist" Review. 150

B. Evolutive Theories of Judicial Review. 152

1.Republican Theories: Translation and Constitutional Synthesis. 153

Bruce Ackerman, Constitutional Politics/Constitutional Law 155

Note on Constitutional Moments and Republican Synthesis 156

2. Radical Feminism and Critical Race Theory 157

Robin West, Constitultional Skepticism 160

Note on Constitutional Skepticism and Returning Constitutional Law to "The People" 164

3. Common Law and Pragmatic Theories. 165

Ernest Young, Rediscovering Conservatism: Burkean Political Theory and Constitutional Interpretation 166

Note on Pragmatism as Another Resource for Common Law Constitutionalism 168

James Bradley Thayer, John Marshall 171

A. Bases for Judicial Review 85

Marbury v. Madison 86

Notes on Marbury and the Power of Judicial Review. 91

McCulloch v .Maryland 822

Notes on Constitutional Reasoning in McCulloch: Original Intent, Constitutional Structures

and Representation Reinforcement. 831

B. The Court's Supremacy in Constitutional Interpretation? 94

Cooperv.Aaron 96

Edwin Meese, III, The Law of the Constitution. 97

Are Other Government Officials Required To Follow the Supreme Court's Interpretation of the Constitution? 97

Jan. 30-Feb. 13

Focus: Freedom of Religion

Focus Cases to be Assigned Reynolds V. United States, 98 U.S. 145 (1878)

Cantwell V. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296 (1941)

Minersville School District v. Gobitis, 310 U.S. 586 (1940)

West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624

Braunfeld V. Brown, 366 U.S. 599 (1961)

Feb. 25-Mar. 5

Section 6. The Religion Clauses 777

A. Free Exercise 778

Stansbury v. Marks 778

Notes on Stansbury 778

Wisconsinv. Yoder 780

Notes on Yoder and Religious Exemptions 780

Employment Division, Department of Human Resources v. Smith 781

Michael McConnell, Free Exercise Revisionism and the Smith Decision 785

Notes on Smith and Free Exercise 787

Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. Hialeah 789

City of Boerne v.Flores 789

Mar. 10-19

B. The Establishment Clause 791

1. Basic Premises 791

Everson v. Board of Education 791

Wallace v. Jaffree 794

Notes on Everson, Jaffree, and Establishment Clause Analysis 795

Lemon v. Kurtzman 797

2. Governmental Endorsement of Religion 797

County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union 791

Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board v. Pinette 799

Notes on Allegheny County and the Lemon Debate 799

Note on the School Prayer Cases 800

Lee v. Weisman 800

Notes on Weisman and Establishment Doctrine 807

Santa Fe Indep. School Dist. v. Doe. 808

Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School Dist.v.Grumet 809

3. Financial Support of Religious Programs. 810

Zelman v. Simmons-Harris 812

Notes on

Zelman 817

Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia 81

Good News Club v. Milford Central School 819

.

Mar. 24-Mar. 31

Chapter 6. The First Amendment 613

Section 1. Free Speech and Competing Values 613

Note on the Original Understanding of Freedom of Speech 614

Masses Publishing Co. v. Patten 631

Schenck v. United States 632

Abrams v. United States 633

Texas v. Johnson 617

R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul 619

Notes on First Amendment Values Implicated in Johnson and R.A.V. 624

United States v. O'Brien 628

Note on the "Imperial" First Amendment 629

Problem 6-1: Drafting a Rule Regulating Law School Posters 630

Section 2. Regulation of Harmful Messages 631

Apr. 2

Subversive Speech from 1920-1960 637

Gitlow v. New York 637

Whitney v. California 638

Brandenburg v. Ohio 641

Notes on Brandenburg 642

Apr. 7

B. Defamation and Privacy 645

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan 645

Gertz v.Robert Welch, Inc. 649

Hustler Magazine v. Falwell 649

Notes on New York Times and Libel Law 650

Notes on Post-New York Times Developments in Defamation Law 652

Bartnicki v. Vopper 657

Notes on Bartnicki 659

Problem 6-2: Free Speech versus Privacy 660

Apr. 9 (selected cases)

April 14 (students begin paper presentations)

C. Obscenity and Indecent Speech 661

Millerv.California 661

Paris Adult Theatre Iv. Slaton 664

Notes on Regulating Sexually Explicit Materials 665

Butler v. Regina 668

A Note on Feminist Anti-Pornography Theories 669

Problem 6-3: Feminist Anti-Pornography Ordinances 670

City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc. 671

Notes on Renton 674

Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc. 67

City of Erie v. Pap's A.M 676

selected cases

D. Fighting Words, Captive Audiences, and Hate Speech 677

1. The Fighting Words Exception, 677

Chaplinsky v.New Hampshire 677

Cohen v. California 677

Notes on Cohen and Offensive Speech 681

2. An Exception for Hate Speech? 682

Beauharnai sv.Illinois 682

Wisconsinv.Mitchell 683

Note on the Hate Speech Debate 684

Problem 6-4: University Regulation of Hate Speech 686

Problem 6-5: May the State Prohibit Sexually HarassingRemarks? 688

A. Prior Restraints and Permit Systems 754

Near v .Minnesota 754

Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham 755

New York Times Co. v. United States 756

Problem 6-14: The H-Bomb Case 757

Madsen v. Women's Health Center, Inc. 757

Notes on Madsen 761

April 14

Summary and Introduction of Student Papers

April 14-30 (last class day)

Go to Beginning of Syllabus

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