Geoffrey R. Stone : Courses and Seminars
Constitutional Decisionmaking
LAWS 50202
Students enrolled in this seminar work as courts consisting of five Justices each. During each of the first eight weeks of the quarter, the courts are assigned several hypothetical cases raising issues under either the Equal Protection Clause or the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech and press. Each court must select in advance whether it will focus on equal protection or the First Amendment. All cases must be decided with opinions (concurring and dissenting opinions are, of course, permitted). The decisions may be premised on the legislative history of the amendment (materials on that history will be provided) and on any doctrines or precedents created by the Justices themselves. The Justices may not rely, however, on any actual decisions of the United States Supreme Court. The seminar is designed to give students some insight into the problems a justice confronts in collaborating with colleagues, interpreting an ambiguous constitutional provision, and then living with the doctrines and precedents he or she creates.
Constitutional Law is not a prerequisite for participation in this seminar. Enrollment will be limited to three courts.
Since the members of each court must work together closely under rigid time constraints, it is preferable for students to form their own complete courts.
Winter 2012
Geoffrey R. Stone
Constitutional Law II: Freedom of Expression
LAWS 40201
A study of the doctrine and theory of the constitutional law of freedom of speech. The subjects for discussion include advocacy of unlawful conduct, defamation, invasion of privacy, commercial speech, obscenity and pornography, offensive speech, symbolic expression, restrictions on the speech of government employees, restrictions on speech in schools and colleges, the relevance of free speech principles to museums and libraries, protest in public places, regulation of campaign expenditures and communications, freedom of the press as a distinct principle, and regulation of the electronic media.
Students who have completed Constitutional Law IV are ineligible to enroll in this course.
The student's grade is based on a final examination and class participation.
Winter 2012
Geoffrey R. Stone
Elements of the Law
LAWS 30101
This course examines the role of judges in our legal system, focusing particularly on the processes of statutory and constitutional interpretation. The subjects for discussion include the nature of, and justification for, reasoning from precedent; the meaning of originalism and other methods of interpretation; and the role of history and context in judicial decision making.
The student's grade is based on a final examination.
Autumn 2011
Geoffrey R. Stone
Greenberg Seminar: Religion and the State
LAWS 95902
This seminar will examine the role of religion in such context as civil rights, abortion, evolution, same-sex marriage, the public arena, and political discourse.
Graded Pass/Fail.
Autumn meetings will be October 11, October 25, and November 15.
Autumn 2011
Geoffrey R. Stone, Jane Dailey
