Constitutional Law

An examination of the federal judicial system encompassing such topics as allocation of federal judicial power; original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court; the Eleventh Amendment; suits in federal court against state officials; restrictions on federal adjudication of state-created rights; federal question jurisdiction and federal common law. Close Window

Administrative law establishes the legal controls over the operation of government and hence it relates to almost every legal practice, from security regulation to social programs to criminal justice. This coure is an introductory examination of the rules and procedures government federal agencies. It explores: (1) the Constitutional background and limitations on agency action, (2) the procedural requirements (from various sources) that an agency must follow, and (3) the doctrines of judicial review that apply whenever a court evaluates agency decisions. Close Window

This course introduces and compares sources of law, underlying values and goals, and applications of the major legal traditions of the world, including civil law, common law, Islamic law, Talmudic law, customary law, and Asian legal systems as they originally developed and as they are evolving and changing in the world today. Close Window

How the courts of a state address the fact that other states and nations, with their own laws, exist. The primary focus is choice of law--which state's or nation's law should apply to a case with multi-jurisdictional elements. Also covered will be the constitutional restrictions on choice of law and state court recognition of sister state judgments. Other possible topics are: the extraterritorial application of federal (including constitutional) law, state and federal court recognition of the judgments of foreign nations, and conflicts between federal and state law, including the Erie doctrine. Close Window

An examination of principles of school law by use, in part, of the care study approach. Legal foundations of public and non-public schools are studied with consideration given to the Virginia School code. Basic legal principles and guidelines for assisting teachers, administrators and professional support personnel are developed. Close Window

This course will examine the laws that govern the political process in the United States. Topics will include the right to vote, political representation, election administration, political parties, ballot initiatives, and campaign finance. The goal of the course is to provide students with a solid foundation in the basic principles of election law in this country. Close Window

This 3-credit course will examine in depth the First Amendment's guarantees of freedom of speech, press, and association. We will discuss First Amendment theories or justifications; the regulation of various categories of expression including incitement to unlawful action, threats, libel, child pornography, commercial speech, and obscenity; and content-neutral restrictions including limits on symbolic content (e.g., draft card burning, flag desecration, and nude dancing). The course will cover application of the First Amendment to government while acting in special capacities, including employer, educator, landlord, subsidizer/speaker, regulator of the airwaves, regulator of the Bar, controller of the military, prison warden, and regulator of immigration. The course will also cover certain ancillary First Amendment rights, including the right not to speak and the right of expressive association. Finally, we will examine the 'press' and newsgathering rights. Close Window

Should the NSA tap Americans' phone calls? Should Target be liable to consumers for data breaches? What if Snapchat doesn't really delete images but stores them--should users have recourse? Given modern technological realities, is privacy dead? This course will review the historical roots of the concept of privacy in U.S. law, the common clash between privacy and the public good, and the shifting balance of privacy rights in rapidly changing technological contexts. We will aim to understand privacy's place amidst the swirl of commercial and national security interests and the rise of the global Internet. Grades will be determined by class participation and a final exam. Close Window

This course will examine the distribution of national security powers amongst the three coordinate branches of government and the development of law and policy governing use of force, military operations, homeland security, intelligence collection, protection of national security information, foreign intelligence surveillance, and contemporary issues in the national security arena. The class is lecture and discussion based, with reading from the Dycus, Berney, Banks & Raven-Hansen's NATIONAL SECURITY LAW; supplemental materials will be assigned and distributed as appropriate. This class will be graded by an examination (80%) and class participation (20%). Students who are registered in or have successfully completed LAW 475, National Security Law, may not register for nor enroll in LAW 797. Close Window