Judges and Politics

This course will consider how political forces may exert themselves on judges, how judges should navigate political issues and public spaces, judges’ ethical responsibilities, and concerns and potential solutions for federal and state judges. Students will read articles on the development of judicial ethics, empirical research on judicial decision-making, and popular-press materials of newsworthy controversies, among other materials. Students will have two essays to complete, one due at the first class session and the second after the final class session. The reading assignments will be frontloaded to allow students to read materials before the class begins and to render the week’s work more manageable.