This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

 

Readings

Required Texts

Amazon logo Fallon, Richard H., Jr. The Dynamic Constitution: An Introduction to American Constitutional Law. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780521600781.

Amazon logo Goldstein, Brand. Storming the Court: How A Band of Yale Law Students Sued the President – and Won. New York, NY: Scribner, 2005. ISBN: 9780743230018.

Readings by Session

SES # TOPICS READINGS
1 Introduction

Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000).

Fallon. "Prologue: Bush v. Gore." pp. 11-21.

2 The Supreme Court in the 21st century

Rosen, Jeffrey. "Supreme Futurology." The New York Times Magazine, August 28, 2005.

Tribe, Laurence H. "The Treatise Power." Green Bag 8 (2005): 291.

Fallon. "Text of the Constitution." pp. 278-297.

3 The separation of powers and judicial review (the early Supreme Court)

Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803).

McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316 (1819).

Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857).

Fallon. "The Dynamic Constitution," and "Judicial Power." Introduction and chapter 9, pp. 1-27 and 189-204.

Goldstein. "The Coup." Chapter 1.

4 Federalism

Katzenbach v. McClung, 379 U.S. 294 (1964).

Gregory v. Ashcroft, 501 U.S. 452 (1991).

United States v. Morrison, 529 U.S. 598 (2000).

Fallon. "The Powers of Congress." Chapter 7, pp. 157-172.

———. "Structural Limits on State Power and Resulting Individual Rights." Chapter 11, pp. 225-236.

———. "The Reach of the Constitution and Congress's Enforcement Power," and "Conclusion." Chapters 13 and 14, pp. 254-277.

5 The wartime Constitution (I) – the post-9/11 era

Rasul v. Bush, 542 U.S. 466 (2004).

Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004).

Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 126 U.S. Ct. 2749 (2006).

Fallon. "The Constitution in War and Emergency." Chapter 12, pp. 247-253.

Goldstein. "Filing a Lawsuit." Chapter 2.

6 The wartime Constitution (II) – World War II and Korean War precedents

Ex Parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942).

Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 (1944).

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579 (1952).

Fallon. "Executive Power." Chapter 8, pp. 173-188.

———. "The Constitution in War and Emergency." Chapter 12, pp. 237-247.

7 The wartime Constitution (III) – freedom of speech and belief

Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47 (1919).

Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616 (1919).

West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943).

Fallon. "Freedom of Speech." Chapter 1, pp. 31-42.

Goldstein. "Picking a Judge." Chapter 3.

8 The wartime Constitution (IV) – the First Amendment

Dennis v. United States, 341 U.S. 494 (1951).

United States v. O'Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968).

Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969).

Fallon. "Freedom of Speech." Chapter 1, pp. 42-53.

9 Religion – the free exercise and establishment clauses

Wallace v. Jaffree, 472 U.S. 38 (1985).

Rosenberger v. The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, 515 U.S. 819 (1995).

Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990).

Fallon. "Freedom of Religion." Chapter 2, pp. 57-74.

Goldstein. "Fighting the Stay." Chapter 4.

10 Economic liberties and substantive due process

The Slaughter-House Cases, 83 U.S. 36 (1873).

Lochner v. New York, 198 U.S. 45 (1904).

United States v. Carolene Products Co., 304 U.S. 144 (1938).

Fallon. "Protection of Economic Liberties." Chapter 3, pp. 75-90.

Goldstein. "The Floating Wall." Chapter 5.

11 Desegregation

Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896).

Brown v. Board of Education I, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

Brown v. Board of Education II, 349 U.S. 294 (1955).

Fallon. "Equal Protection of the Laws." Chapter 5, pp. 106-22.

12 Freedom of association

NAACP v. Alabama, 377 U.S. 288 (1958).

Roberts v. United States Jaycees, 468 U.S. 609 (1984).

Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640 (2000).

Fallon. "Freedom of Speech." Chapter 1, pp. 53-56.

Goldstein. "Going to Guantánamo." Chapter 6.

13 Affirmative action

Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 244 (2003).

Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003).

Fallon. "Equal Protection of the Laws." Chapter 5, pp. 123-29.

14 Gender discrimination

Craig v. Boren, 420 U.S. 190 (1976).

United States v. Virginia, 518 U.S. 515 (1996).

Fallon. "Equal Protection of the Laws." Chapter 5, pp. 129-33.

Goldstein. "Waiting for the President." Chapter 7.

15 Criminal procedure

Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961).

Terry v. Ohio, 391 U.S. 1 (1968).

Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967).

Fallon. "Rights to Fair Procedures." Chapter 4, pp. 91-100.

16 The conflict between civil liberties and civil rights (guest lecture by Harvey Silverglate, Esq.)

Saxe v. State College Area School District, No. 99-4081 (3rd Cir. 2001).

Harper v. Poway Unified School District, No. 04-57037 (9th Cir. 2006). (PDF)

Amendment to opinion (PDF)

Kozinski dissent in Harper v. Poway (PDF)

R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul, 505 U.S. 377 (1992).

Amazon logo Kors, Alan Charles, and Harvey A. Silverglate. "Marcuse's Revenge." Chapter 4 in The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America's Campuses. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 1999. ISBN: 9780060977726.

17 From the "war on crime" to the "war on terror"

Stone-Posner Debate: What's Wrong With the Patriot Act?

Stone-Posner Debate on the Patriot Act and Wartime Civil Liberties

Wartime Civil Liberties Debate, Round 2

Stuntz, William J. "Local Policing after the Terror."

———. "Local Policing After the Terror." Yale Law Journal 111 (June 2002): 2137-2194.

Goldstein. "The Hunger Strike." Chapter 8.

18 Fundamental rights (I)

Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965).

Eisenstadt v. Baird 405, U.S. 438 (1972).

Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).

Fallon. "Fundamental Rights." Chapter 6, pp. 138-47.

19 Fundamental rights (II)

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, 497 U.S. 261 (1990).

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992).

Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997).

Fallon. "Fundamental Rights." Chapter 6, pp. 151-54.

Goldstein. "The Supreme Court." Chapter 9.

20 The Eighth Amendment

Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972).

Wilson v. Seiter, 501 U.S. 294 (1991).

Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005).

Goldstein. "The Trial." Chapter 10.

21 Immigration and citizenship

Chae Chan Ping v. United States, 130 U.S. 581 (1889).

Graham v. Richardson, 403 U.S. 365 (1971).

Bernal v. Fainter, 467 U.S. 216 (1984).

22 Welfare and poverty

Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U.S. 254 (1970).

San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 1 (1973).

DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services, 489 U.S. 189 (1989).

Fallon. "Rights to Fair Procedures." Chapter 4, pp. 100-05.

Goldstein. "Victory and Loss." Chapter 11.

23 Sexual orientation

Bowers v. Hardwick, 478 U.S. 186 (1986).

Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996).

Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003).

Fallon. "Equal Protection of the Laws." Chapter 5, pp. 133-37.

———. "Fundamental Rights." Chapter 6, pp. 147-150.

24 Marriage

Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967).

Zablocki v. Redhail, 434 U.S. 374 (1978).

Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, 798 N.E.2d 941 (Mass. SJC, 2003).

Goldstein. "Epilogue: The Aftermath."

25 Political participation

Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962).

Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964).

Mobile v. Bolden, 446 U.S. 55 (1980).

Fallon. "Elections, Political Democracy and the Constitution." Chapter 10, pp. 207-24.