The Supreme Court, Law, and Public Policy
Learning how courts interpret policy has become an important component of the policymaker's toolkit. This course aims to introduce policy-oriented students to how Constitutional interpretation touches upon pressing policy questions. Students will engage with what courts expect to see from policymakers, while also learning how to read cases from a lawyer's perspective. Topics covered include federalism, LGBT rights, race and ethnicity, criminal justice issues, voting rights, and political questions and official immunity. Texts will include cases decided by the Supreme Court (including cases from recent terms), and also contemporary scholarship on judicial politics and decision making. Although our focus will be on the Supreme Court, the pedagogical emphasis will be on what policy makers can expect from the courts in terms of federal and state policy implementation.