Discussion - 3 hours. A study of the subject-matter jurisdiction of federal courts. The constitutional and statutory grants of authority to federal courts to adjudicate actions arising under federal law or between parties of diverse citizenship are examined in contemporary detail and from the perspectives of history and the Constitution. The course begins with a close examination of the scope and sources of the rules governing the jurisdiction of the federal district courts, and proceeds to develop a general theory of federal jurisdiction that includes federal appellate jurisdiction, writs of habeas corpus, abstention, justiciability, and state sovereign immunity. Fundamentally this course seeks to elaborate the constitutional themes of separation of powers and federalism as guides to critical understanding and evaluation of the Supreme Court's leading cases on the scope of federal jurisdiction.
Prerequisite: 205 Constitutional Law I.Classroom Policies: This course has a no-laptop policy.
Final Assessment: Exam