Prerequisites: None. Basic knowledge of constitutional law preferred but not required.

Exam Type: No Exam

Students will be required to submit a short (1 or 2-page) paper on a ‘great’ SCOTUS case that we have not covered in the class by the end of the semester.

What makes a case great? Why do some cases take on a life of their own, requiring study and comment from every angle by generation after generation of lawyers, law professors, law students and students of the Supreme Court? In this reading group, we shall focus on great cases over the course of the history of the Court – Marbury, Brown, Roe v. Wade, Miranda, and others. The predominant focus will be to discuss the historical context surrounding these cases and dissect them in a manner that will inform their role in the Court’s history. The majority of the readings will be the cases.

Note: This reading group will meet on the following dates: September 23, October 14, October 28, November 4, November 11 and November 18.