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Readings

Required Texts

Fallon, Richard H., Jr. The Dynamic Constitution: An Introduction to American Constitutional Law. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN: 0521840945.

O'Brien, David M. Constitutional Law and Politics, Vol. 1: Struggles for Power and Governmental Accountability. 6th ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 2005. ISBN: 039392565X. [Hereafter vol. 1]

———. Constitutional Law and Politics, Vol. 2: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. 6th ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 2005. ISBN: 0393925668. [Hereafter vol. 2]

Readings by Session


Lec # Topics Readings
1 Introduction Bush v. Gore (2000) (vol. 1, pp. 883-893.)

Fallon, pp. xi-xxi.
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.

"Text of the Constitution." (vol. 1, pp. 1-21.)
3 Judicial Review (The Early Supreme Court) Marbury v. Madison (1803) (vol. 1, pp. 46-55.)

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) (vol. 1, pp. 527-38.)

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) (vol. 2, pp. 1352-63.)

Fallon, pp. 1-27.
4 Bioethics and Biotechnology in the Supreme Court (Panel Discussion at Harvard Law School) Brock, Dan W. "Shaping Future Children: Parental Rights and Societal Interests." Journal of Political Philosophy 13, no. 4 (2005): 377-398.

Fried, Charles. "Perfect Freedom or Perfect Control?" 114 Harvard Law Review 606 (2000).
5 The Wartime Constitution (I) - The Post-9/11 Era Rasul v. Bush (2004) (vol. 1, pp. 283-88.)

Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004) (vol. 1, pp. 288-301.)

Padilla v. Hanft (4th Cir. 2005) (PDF)

Stone, Geoffrey, and Richard Posner. "What's Wrong with the Patriot Act?" Legal Affairs: Debate Club, October 7, 2005.

Fallon, pp. 237-53.
6 The Wartime Constitution (II) - World War II and Korean War Precedents Ex Parte Quirin (1942)

Korematsu v. United States (1944) (vol. 1, pp. 274-83.)

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) (vol. 1, pp. 316-31.)

Kennedy, Randall. "Suspect Policy." The New Republic (September 13-20, 1999).

Varadarajan, Tunku. "A Feeling of Being Under Suspicion." Wall Street Journal (July 29, 2005).

Fallon, pp. 173-188 and 237-47.
7 The Wartime Constitution (III) - Freedom of Speech and Belief Schenck v. United States (1919) (vol. 2, pp. 405-06.)

Abrams v. United States (1919)

Whitney v. California (1927)

Barnette v. West Virginia Board of Education (1943)

Fallon, pp. 31-42.
8 The Wartime Constitution (IV) - The First Amendment

Dennis v. United States (1951) (vol. 1, pp. 412-23.)

United States v. O'Brien (1968)

New York Times v. Sullivan 376 U.S. 254 (1964) (vol. 2, pp. 534-39), and Oral Argument audio files.

Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) (vol. 2, pp. 423-26.)

New York Times Company v. United States (1971) (vol. 1, pp. 331-40.)

Fallon, pp. 42-53.

9 The Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses Epperson v. Arkansas (1968)

Wallace v. Jaffree (1985) (vol. 2, pp. 740-49.)

Rosenberger v. The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (1995) (vol. 2, pp. 769-80.)

Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002) (vol. 2, pp. 787-98.)

Employment Division v. Smith (1990) (vol. 2, pp. 816-24.)

Fallon, pp. 57-74.
10 Economic Liberties and Substantive Due Process The Slaughter-House Cases (1873) (vol. 2, pp. 266-70.)

Lochner v. New York (1904) (vol. 2, pp. 273-78.)

West Coast Hotel v. Parrish (1937) (vol. 1, pp. 1009-12.)

United States v. Carolene Products Co. (1938)

Shea, Christopher. "Supreme Switch." The Boston Globe, December 4, 2005.

Fallon, pp. 75-90.
11 Desegregation Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) (vol. 2, pp. 1372-76.)

Brown v. Board of Education I (1954) (vol. 2, pp. 1395-1400.)

Brown v. Board of Education II (1955) (vol. 2, pp. 1407-10.)

Wechsler, Herbert. "Toward Neutral Principles of Constitutional Law." Harvard Law Review 73, no. 1 (1959).

Black, Charles L. "The Lawfulness of the Segregation Decisions." Yale Law Journal 69, no. 3 (January 1960): 421-430.

Fallon, pp. 106-22.
12 Freedom of Association NAACP v. Alabama (1958) (vol. 2, pp. 673-76.)

Roberts v. United States Jaycees (1984) (vol. 2, pp. 676-79.)

Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000) (vol. 2, pp. 679-87), and Oral Argument audio file.

Fallon, pp. 53-56.
13 Affirmative Action Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) (vol. 2, pp. 1442-51.)

Gratz v. Bollinger (2003) (vol. 2, pp. 1483-88.)

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) (vol. 2, pp. 1488-97.)

Fallon, pp. 123-29.
14 Gender Discrimination Muller v. Oregon (1908) (vol. 2, pp. 279-81.)

Craig v. Boren (1976) (vol. 2, pp. 1509-13.)

United States v. Virginia (1996) (vol. 2, pp. 1517-29.)

Fallon, pp. 129-33.
15 Criminal Procedure (I) Mapp v. Ohio (1961) (vol. 2, pp. 990-98.)

Terry v. Ohio (1968) (vol. 2, pp. 873-79.)

Miranda v. Arizona (1966) (vol. 2, pp. 1037-48.)

Katz v. United States (1967) (vol. 2, pp. 965-69.)

Fallon, pp. 91-100.
16 Criminal Procedure (II) Crawford v. Washington (2004)

United States v. Booker (2005)

Stuntz, William. "Local Policing after the Terror." 111 Yale Law Journal 2137 (2002).

Fallon, pp. 189-204.
17 The Eighth Amendment Furman v. Georgia (1972) (vol. 2, pp. 1172-83.)

Wilson v. Seiter (1991)

Ewing v. California (2003) (vol. 2, pp. 1156-61.)

Roper v. Simmons (2005)
18 Fundamental Rights (I) Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) (vol. 2, pp. 339-47.)

Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972)

Roe v. Wade (1973) (vol. 2, pp. 1242-51), and Oral Argument audio file.

Fallon, pp. 138-47.
19 Fundamental Rights (II) Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health (1990) (vol. 2, pp. 1305-13.)

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992) (vol. 2, pp. 1260-72.)

Washington v. Glucksberg (1997) (vol. 2, pp. 1313-24.)

Fallon, pp. 151-54.
20 Sexual Orientation Bowers v. Hardwick (1986)

Romer v. Evans (1996) (vol. 2, pp. 1534-45.)

Lawrence v. Texas (2003) (vol. 2, pp. 1293-1305.)

Fallon, pp. 133-37 and 147-50.
21 Marriage Loving v. Virginia (1967)

Zablocki v. Redhail (1978)

Defense of Marriage Act (1996)

Goodridge v. Dep't of Public Health (Mass. SJC, 2003)
22 Immigration and Citizenship Chae Chan Ping v. United States (1889)

Graham v. Richardson (1971)

Plyler v. Doe (1982) (vol. 2, pp. 1569-74.)

Mathew v. Diaz (1967)

Bernal v. Fainter (1984)
23 Poverty, Welfare, and Work Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) (vol. 2, pp. 1099-1103.)

Goldberg v. Kelly (1970)

San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez (1973) (vol. 2, pp. 1553-60.)

Washington v. Davis (1976)

DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services (1989)

Fallon, pp. 100-05.
24 Political Participation Baker v. Carr (1962) (vol. 1, pp. 145-57.)

Reynolds v. Sims (1964) (vol. 1, pp. 842-48.)

Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections (1966)

Mobile v. Bolden (1980)

Fallon, pp. 207-24.
25 Federalism Heart of Atlantic Motel, Inc. v. United States (1964) (vol. 1, pp. 579-88.)

Katzenbach v. McClung (1964)

Gregory v. Ashcroft (1991)

City of Boerne v. Flores (1997) (vol. 1, pp. 604-15.)

United States v. Morrison (2000) (vol. 1, pp. 616-28.)

Fallon, pp. 157-72, 225-36 and 254-77.