LAW 533 - Current Issues in Criminal Justice Litigation Seminar

Credits: 2

This seminar will explore current litigation issues involved in the American criminal justice system. They will transcend specific categories such as criminal procedure or substantive criminal law. Instead, the unifying features here will be problems that are encountered on a regular basis in criminal justice litigation. We will discussing consent searches, multiple defendant trials, the impact of race, treatment of the intellectually disabled in the criminal justice system, and jail house snitches, among other topics. Enrollment is limited. Class will meet in one two-hour session each week. The first hour will be a discussion led by students on the assigned topic; I will then lead a further discussion of that topic for the second hour. At least two weeks prior to the designated oral assignment, students must meet with me to discuss the substance of their presentations, the format, and the reading material and discussion questions for the other students in the class. Depending on class size, each student will prepare either two or three presentations as part of a group. There is no book to be purchased for the class; instead, reading materials for each class session will be made available at least one week prior to that class session. General use of lap tops-and all other electronic devices in the classes will not be permitted, except by students presenting. The grade for this class will be determined as follows: 50% for class presentations and class participation apart from the presentations, and 50% for a paper due the last day of class. There will be no final exam. The paper, approximately 20-25 pages double spaced, can be on any subject area covered in the course, and the student is free to consider alternative formats for the writing; e.g., essay, client opinion letter, appellate brief, motion, judicial opinion, or model statute with commentary.