Prerequisite: For JD students, this course is open to those who have completed 1L Constitutional Law or an equivalent course in another law school. For LLM students, instructor permission is required to enroll in this course.

Exam Type: Short Format Takehome

This course offers a study of the role of the federal courts in the operation of the federal system. It is an advanced course in public law, judicial administration, and constitutional and civil rights litigation and will assume a knowledge of substantive constitutional law. Topics include the case or controversy requirement; the power of Congress to regulate the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts; federal question jurisdiction; doctrines of sovereign and official immunity; federal common law; Supreme Court review of state court judgments; abstention; and federal habeas corpus.  Willingness to participate in class discussion, including through cold calls, is a requirement of enrollment.