Study

362 State Constitutional Law

This course will explore the important field of State Constitutional Law.  It will focus on State Supreme Court decisions, especially those decisions that have decided important constitutional claims differently from the United States Supreme Court.  The focus will be on important constitutional law issues involving voting rights, abortion and other privacy rights, gun regulation, funding of public education, and religious freedom.  It will also explore several structural issues relating to State judiciaries and State Constitutions.

70% of the course grade will be based on a three-hour take-home exam.  20% will be based on a 10-page paper on an approved state constitutional law topic.  And 10% will be based on class participation.

Course Areas of Practice
Evaluation Methods
  • Final Exam
  • Research and/or analytical paper(s), 10-15 pages
  • Class participation
Degree Requirements
JD elective
Course Type
  • Lecture
Learning Outcomes
  • Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law

Sample Syllabi

Spring 2024

2024
Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor

362.01 3
  • Final Exam
  • Research and/or analytical paper(s), 10-15 pages
  • Class participation
 Thomas B. Metzloff

This course will explore the important field of State Constitutional Law.  It will focus on State Supreme Court decisions, especially those decisions that have decided important constitutional claims differently from the United States Supreme Court.  The focus will be on important constitutional law issues involving voting rights, abortion and other privacy rights, gun regulation, funding of public education, and religious freedom.  It will also explore several structural issues relating to State judiciaries and State Constitutions.

70% of the course grade will be based on a three-hour take-home exam.  20% will be based on a 10-page paper on an approved state constitutional law topic.  And 10% will be based on class participation.

Syllabus: 362-01-Spring2024-syllabus.pdf186.53 KB

Degree Requirements
Pre/Co-requisites
None

In this section

*Please note that this information is for planning purposes only, and should not be relied upon for the schedule for a given semester. Faculty leaves and sabbaticals, as well as other curriculum considerations, will sometimes affect when a course may be offered.