PBPL821

This course is about the interaction between law and politics. It treats the federal courts as a political institution that enjoys a complex and changing relationship with its coequal branches of government and the states. We will investigate if course are a powerful policy making branch, how they exercise power, and under what conditions they are most and least powerful. Our focus will be on the federal courts, particularly the US Supreme Court. First, we will consider the broad debates around the power of courts. Second, we will turn to a series of case studies to understand the power of courts in particular instances. Possible case studies include: the NAACP's integration campaign, abortion rights and anti-abortion activism, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title IX, and court policy-making in the era where power is exercised through algorithms.