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Sample Syllabus —Balkin

Constitutional Equality

Professor Balkin

Spring Semester 2000

Syllabus

Unless otherwise noted, all page references are to Brest, Levinson, Balkin and Amar, Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking (4th ed. 2000). Readings in the Supplemental Materials are designated as "Supp."

1. Equality and Status Hierarchies

• Loving v. Virginia and Notes, pp. 801-810
  

• Baehr v. Lewin and Notes, pp. 1313-1323
  
• Baker v. State, Supp., pp. 1-39B

2. Citizenship

• Dred Scott v. Sandford, pp. 182-207
  

• Frederick Douglass, Glasgow Address, pp. 207-211
  
• The Insular Cases, pp. 297-309
  
• Reynolds v. United States, pp. 309-314
  
• The Chinese Exclusion Cases, pp. 40-43
  
• Note: Native Americans and the American Political Community, pp. 117-121
  
• Note, the Fourteenth Amendement, Birthright Citizenship, and American Indians, pp. 255-258

3. Civil, Political, and Social Equality

• The Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, pp. li-lii
  

• The History of the Fourteenth Amendment, pp. 241-255
  
• Strauder v. West Virginia, pp. 259-265
  
• Plessy v. Ferguson and Notes, pp. 270-285
  
• The Civil Rights Cases and Notes, pp. 285-296

4. The First Wave of American Feminism

• Women's Rights in the Antebellum Era, pp. 121-125
  

• The New Departure and Minor v. Happersett, pp. 265-270
  
• Bradwell v. Illinois, pp. 330-332
  
• The Ninteenth Amendment, pp. 390-392, liii
  
• Note: Are there substantive limits to constitutional amendment, pp. 397-399
  
• Note on the Violence Against Women Act, Supp., pp. 399A-399E

5. What Brown Should Have Said

• Brown v. Board of Education and Notes, pp. 737-754, 759-769
  

• Opinions rewriting Brown v. Board of Education, Supp., pp. 401-501
  
• Missouri v. Jenkins (opinion of Thomas, J.) and Notes, pp. 790-794
  
• Note: Toward "Separate But Truly Equal"?, p. 800
  
• San Antonio Ind. School District v. Rodriguez, pp. 1541-1560

6. What is "Race"?

• What Justifies the Suspect Classification Standard, pp. 824-831
  

• Hernandez v. Texas and Notes, pp. 831-835
  
• The Social and Legal Construction of Race, 835-841
  
• Note: Custody, Adoption, and Race, pp. 841-846
  
• Korematsu v. United States, pp. 810-822
  
• Note on Discrimination against Asian-Americans and the Black/White Paradigm, pp. 823-824

7. What is Discrimination "Based On" Race?

• Griggs v. Duke Power and Notes, pp. 849-851
  

• Washington v. Davis and Notes, pp. 851-860
  
• Commentaries on the Intent Standard, pp. 860-867
  
• The Arlington Heights Factors and Notes, pp. 867-870
  
• United States v. Clary and Notes, pp. 873-876
  
• McClesky v. Kemp and Notes, pp. 884-892
  
• Note: Racial Profiling and the Equal Protection Clause, pp. 892-894
  
• Hunter v. Erickson and Notes, pp. 894-898

8. Affirmative Action

• Note: Affirmative Action and Original Intention, pp. 967-973
  

• City of Richmond v. Croson, pp. 927-953
  
• Adarand Constructors v. Pena, pp. 953-967
  
• Hopwood v. State of Texas, pp. 973-978
  
• Note: Are American Indians a "Race" for Affirmative Action Purposes?, pp. 978-982
  
• Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 898-920 (review)

9. The Second Wave of Feminism

• Evolution of the Intermediate Standard, pp. 985-988
  

• Note: The Equal Rights Amendment, pp. 994-996
  
• What Justifies Special Scrutiny, etc., pp. 996-1007
  
• United States v. Virginia (The VMI Case) and Notes, pp. 1025-1044
  
• Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan and Notes, pp. 1044-1050
  
• Garrett v. Board of Education and Notes, pp. 1050-1053

10. Status Enforcement and "Neutrality"

• Women in the Military, pp. 1104-1113
  

• Note: Domestic Violence and the Equal Protection Clause, pp. 1060-1065
  
• Personell Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney and Notes, pp. 1053-1060
  
• Geduldig v. Aiello and Notes, pp. 1065-1068
  
• The Feminist Legal Debate about Pregnancy and Equality, pp. 1073-1078
  
• Notes and Michael M. v. Superior Court of California, pp. 1088-1104

11. Abortion and Equality

• Introduction to Roe v. Wade, pp. 1172
  

• Was Roe a Political Mistake, pp. 1188-1190
  
• Abortion and The Equal Protection Clause, pp. 1190-1199
  
• Roe v. Wade and Notes, pp. 1172-1188 (review)
  
• Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey and Notes, pp. 1202-1242 (review)

12. Sexual Orientation

• Bowers v. Hardwick and Notes, pp. 1242-1259
  

• Romer v. Evans and Notes, pp. 1259-1275
  
• Watkins v. United States Army and Notes, pp. 1275-1297
  
• Note: Gays in the Military and the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy, pp. 1297-1300
  
• Thomasson v. Perry and Notes, pp. 1300-1313