Federal courts occupy a strategic place at the crossroads of the foundational constitutional principles of separation of powers, federalism, and individual rights. This course examines the constitutional and statutory power of federal courts from that vantage point. Topics planned for the course include case-or-controversy and justiciability limitations on the federal judicial power (with an emphasis on standing doctrine), congressional power to control the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, the role of state courts in the enforcement of federal rights, state sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment, and abstention doctrine. (3 Credits)
Fall 2019
Keith Werhan
Litigation & Procedure