Criminal Law and Policy

Lecture/Discussion — 3 or 4 units. This course covers rules regarding the admissibility of testimonial and documentary proof during the trial of civil and criminal cases, including rules governing relevancy, hearsay, the examination and impeachment of witnesses, expert opinion, and constitutional and statutory privileges.

The 3-hour version of the course is a faster-paced course that will cover only the Federal Rules of Evidence, and students intending to do trial work in California are advised to take the 4-hour version.

During the Fall semester, clinic students provide trauma-informed civil legal assistance to survivors of gender-based violence by staffing a community walk-in pro per restraining order clinic in Woodland and creating a community outreach or research project. Students participate in a mandatory all-clinic orientation the Friday before Fall classes resume and an intensive orientation during the following weekend focusing on gender-based violence, working with victims of trauma, and the California Domestic Violence Prevention Act.

The Immigration Law Clinic (ILC) provides legal representation to indigent non-citizens in removal proceedings before U.S. Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and federal courts,including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The ILC provides this necessary service to Northern California's immigrant communities, offering education and legal services to low-income immigrants facing deportation while enabling students to gain practical, real-world experience.

Seminar — 2 units. This two unit class provides an overview of the major juvenile delinquency procedural hearings: detention, jurisdiction, disposition and transfer hearings.  The class will discuss the recent United States Supreme Court decisions on life without the possibility of parole for minors and how these decisions are influenced by recent scientific findings on brain development in young adults. The constitutional rights of students while in school will be reviewed in the context of mandatory drug testing and police interrogations and searches of students while on campus.

Discussion — 3 units.  In addition to examining the evidence law governing the admission of scientific testimony, this course considers related procedures as well as trial advocacy in presenting and attacking such testimony.

Discussion — 3 units.  An introduction to the mechanics and preparation of trial. The class features lectures, demonstrations, assigned readings, and trial drills. The emphasis throughout the course is on the formulation and implementation of trial strategy, theory and theme of the case and practical techniques. Students will conduct all phases of a trial, including opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments. 

Discussion — 2 units. This course covers the law of conspiracy, corporate criminal liability, mail and wire fraud, the Hobbs Act, RICO, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and other white collar crimes and their associated defenses.

Final Assessment: Exam (may be a take-home exam).
Grading Mode: Letter Grading.

Discussion — 2 units. This course will train students to recognize and effectively respond to those evidentiary issues most common in trials, including common issues of relevance and threshold admissibility, character and habit evidence, hearsay and its exceptions, evidentiary foundations, privileges, lay and expert witness opinion testimony, and the handling of real and demonstrative evidence. While primary focus will be given to the Federal Rules of Evidence, selected California Evidence Code provisions will be discussed and contrasted.

Seminar — 2 units. The Criminal Justice System continues to evolve as perceptions regarding judges, law enforcement officers and criminal attorneys (both prosecution and defense) change.  This class will analyze how our sense of justice is formed and what it looks like in the actual practice of criminal law. The class will discuss the legal standards for arrest, charging, and conviction along with the ethical conduct required of prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Skills — 3 units. In this class, we will review files of incarcerated people serving long prison sentences and make recommendations to California prosecutors about making a motion under California Penal Code (CPC) § 1172.1 or other laws to resentence the person to a lesser term.