POLS 309 : SUPREME COURT POLICYMAKING (S)

This course explores judicial activism in civil rights through analysis of contemporary landmark Supreme Court cases. Students learn theories of judicial behavior by exploring the influence of background, experience, and ideology of current Supreme Court Justices. Students learn Supreme Court structure and process through analysis of writs of certiorari, precedents, amicus curiae briefs, oral arguments, and the Court's ruling (including the majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions) in recent landmark civil rights cases. Students research and present oral arguments for both a petitioner and respondent in a moot court final project, including a mock conference room debate and voting with a final ruling.