This course will focus on the 2018 Louisiana Legislative Session as a means of understanding the legislative process, civic engagement with that process, and policy and legal concerns that proposed legislation can raise – all within the context of understanding the legal framework surrounding abortion access and reproductive rights. The course will include legal and policy analysis of the most significant U.S. Supreme Court cases involving abortion rights, as well as an overview of the statutory and regulatory landscape applicable to abortion in Louisiana. With that backdrop, the course will then take a hands-on approach to the Louisiana Legislative Session, focusing on proposed bills that will impact reproductive justice. Guest speakers will help students to understand the policy implications – both intended and unintended – related to the proposed bills, as well as other legislation proposed or passed during recent legislative sessions. Each student will select one proposed bill, and learn how to draft messaging guidance, draft and coordinate testimony for the legislative committee hearings, and how to assess the policy implications and likelihood of success in a subsequent legal challenge. Students will draft a research paper incorporating those elements. For the final project, students will have the opportunity to draft their own proposed legislation, which will be incorporated in a research paper that examines the policy considerations related to their bill and why they think the bill would withstand judicial scrutiny. If scheduling allows, students will be able to attend a committee hearing at the Legislature regarding one of the proposed bills, and see the legislative and advocacy process in action. The course will be taught by Ellie Schilling, a member at Schonekas, Evans, McGoey & McEachin, LLC. (1 Credit)

Semester

Spring 2018

Instructor(s)

Ellie Schilling

Academic Area(s)

Litigation & Procedure

State & Local Government Law

Mini-courses