Legislation
Description
Statutory law is the dominant source of contemporary law, and it is the form of law that lawyers are likely to confront most often in almost any area of practice. This course focuses on legislative laws and the legislative institutions that produce them. The first part of the course will focus on selected topics concerning the legislative process, including campaign finance, lobbying, legislative rules and the role of committees, and other related issues. We will also explore direct democracy as an alternative to the traditional legislative process. In the second part of the course, we will devote substantial time to statutory interpretation, stressing both practical and theoretical dimensions. In addition to applying principles of statutory interpretation, we will explore contemporary controversies, including debates about textualist, purposive and dynamic interpretation; about the use of legislative history and canons of construction; and about the democratic and constitutional foundations of statutory interpretation itself. In considering both legislative process and statutory interpretation, readings will draw from political science as well as law.
- Number of Units: 3
- Course Number: 319