LAW 9216 - Fourteenth Amendment

Prerequisite(s): LAW 9004. Fulfills writing requirement.
This course involves an in-depth analysis of the history, evolution, and current application of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment provides that no State shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law … nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Class discussion and assignments will focus on the United States Supreme Court’s interpretation of these words. Particular emphasis will be placed on the origins and contemporary relevance of substantive due process, and the Court’s Equal Protection jurisprudence. Students will read and discuss a number of landmark cases, including: (1) Plessy v. Ferguson; (2) Brown v. Board of Education; (3) Griswold v. Connecticut; (4) Roe v. Wade; (5) Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey; (6) Lawrence v. Texas; and (7) United States v. Windsor (and its companion case, Hollingsworth v. Perry). Credit(s): 2