This seminar will examine current issues in election law, through the prism of active legal disputes. Topics studied will include: claims that individuals involved in the events of January 6th are disqualified from holding public office under section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment; efforts to shield information about legislative gerrymandering using claims of attorney-client privilege; assertions by election officials that they have a First Amendment right to block constituents from accessing their social media pages; recent challenges to the creation of "majority-minority districts" under the Voting Rights Act; and efforts to change or eliminate the Electoral College.
Weekly reading assignments will include background material, litigant briefs, and court opinions. Active participation in weekly class discussions is required. Students will be evaluated on the basis of class participation and a final take-home project. The final project will require students to write a judicial opinion addressing one of the issues studied in class. Students wishing to write a longer paper in order to use the course to meet the Capstone writing requirement should contact the professor for additional information.