Conlaw.net

Constitutional Law

Professor Jack M. Balkin

Yale Law School

Syllabus

Unless otherwise noted, all page references are to Brest, Levinson, Balkin, Amar and Siegel, Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking (5th ed. 2006). Readings in the 2007 Supplement to the casebook are noted as "2007 Supplement."

1. Introduction: Interpreting the Constitution

• The Constitution of the United States, pp. 1-15
  

• Historical Background of the Constitution, pp. 19-26
  
• Note on the First Bank, pp. 27-28
  
• James Madison's Speech on the Bank, pp. 28-32
  
• Opinions of Edmund Randolph, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamliton on the First Bank, pp. 32-37
  
• Note on the Second Bank, p. 37
  
• McCulloch v. Maryland and Notes, pp. 38-64, 67-74
  
• Note on the Louisiana Purchase, pp. 64-67

2. Constitutional Interpreters

A. Judicial Review

• Note on the Marshall Court, pp. 97-99
  

• The Election of 1800 and Notes, pp. 99-103
  
• Stuart v. Laird and Notes, pp. 104-108
  
• Notes and Marbury v. Madison, pp. 108-124
  
• Theories of Judicial Review, pp. 124-136 (note Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, pp. 128-29)
  
• Notes on Federal Jurisdiction, pp. 887-892

B. What if the President disagrees with the Court about the meaning of the Constitution?

• Andrew Jackson's Veto Message and Notes, pp. 74-79
  

• Note on Presidential Authority, pp. 79-81

C. Can the States resist a law they believe to be unconstitutional?

• Notes on the Sedition Act of 1798, pp. 84-95

D. What does “commerce among the several states” mean and who can regulate it?

• Gibbons v. Ogden and Notes, pp. 168-180
  

• Note on Language, Purpose, and Meaning, pp. 180-186
  
• Note on the Taney Court, pp. 187-191
  
• Note on Interstate Federalism and the National Economy, pp. 729-736

3. Natural Law and Slavery

• Note on the Natural Law Tradition and Calder v. Bull, pp. 146-153 (Note particularly Barron v. City of Baltimore, p. 151)
  

• Note: Is Constitutional Law a Comedy or a Tragedy?, pp. 153-156
  
• Women's Citizenship in the Antebellum Era, pp. 164-168
  
• Corfield v. Coryell, pp. 209-210
  
• Crandall v. Nevada, pp. 210-212
  
• Notes on Slavery, pp. 212-217
  
• Notes and Prigg v. Pennsylvania, pp. 217-228
  
• Dred Scott v. Sandford and Notes, pp. 229-253
  
• Frederick Douglass, The Constitution of the United States: Is it Pro-Slavery or Anti-Slavery? and Notes, pp. 253-257
  
• Note on the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, pp. 257-260

4. The Civil War and the War Power

• Notes on Secession, pp. 261-271
  

• The Prize Cases, pp. 271-275
  
• Note on Limiting the President's Power as Commander in Chief and Little v. Barreme, pp. 138-140
  
• Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer and Notes, pp. 819-841
  
• Note on the Emancipation Proclamation, pp. 279-283

5. The Civil War, Emergency and Civil Rights

• Lincoln and the Suspension of Habeas Corpus, pp. 276-279
  

• Note on Reverence for Law, pp. 283-285
  
• Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld v. Padilla, Rasul v. Bush and Notes, pp. 841-871
  
• Ex Parte Milligan and Notes, pp. 287-291
  
• Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and Notes, 2007 Supp., pp. 1-43
  
• Note on the Military Commissions Act of 2006, 2007 Supp., pp 43-48
  
• Note on Torture and Presidential Power, pp. 878-881
  
• Note on Domestic Surveillance and Presidential Power, 2007 Supp., pp. 49-52
  
• Note on Presidential Signing Statements, 2007 Supp., pp. 53-57
  
• Korematsu v. United States and Notes, pp. 966-979
  
• The Legal Tender Cases, pp. 291-299

6. Reconstruction and Reaction

A. Introduction

• The Fourteenth Amendment, pp. 11-12
  

• History of the Adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment, pp. 301-310
  
• Senator Howard's Speech on the Fourteenth Amendment
  
• Note on The Unusual Procedural History of the Fourteenth Amendment, pp. 310-319

B. The Reconstruction Amendments and the Privileges and Immunities of National Citizenship

• The Slaughterhouse Cases and Notes, pp. 319-337
  

• Bradwell v. Illinois and Notes, pp. 337-339
  
• Note on The New Departure and Minor v. Happersett, pp. 340-346
  
• Notes on Birthright Citizenship, pp. 346-351

C. The Reconstruction Amendments and Race

• Strauder v. West Virginia and Notes, pp. 351-357
  

• Plessy v. Ferguson and Notes, pp. 357-368
  
• Charles Black, the Lawfulness of the Segregation Decisions, pp. 368-369
  
• Note on The Spirit of Plessy and Giles v. Harris, pp. 370-373
  
• The Civil Rights Cases and Notes, pp. 373-385

7. The Lochner Era

A. Due Process

• Notes on the Rise of Substantive Due Process, pp. 412-416
  

• Lochner v. State of New York and Notes, pp. 417-422
  
• Notes on the Jurisprudence of the Lochner Era, pp. 422-431

B. Federalism and National Powers

• Notes and Champion v. Ames, pp. 435-441
  

• Hammer v. Dagenhart and Notes, pp. 441-449
  
• Note on the Taxing Power, pp. 449-450
  
• Note on the Spending Power, pp. 450-456
  
• Note on the Treaty Power, pp. 456-460

C. The Progressive Era Amendments

• Constitutional Innovation during the Progressive Period, pp. 471-483

8. The New Deal and the Emergence of the Modern Paradigm of Judicial Scrutiny

• Nebbia v. New York and Notes, pp. 499-501
  

• Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell and Notes, pp. 501-510
  
• Notes and West Coast Hotel v. Parrish, pp. 510-513
  
• U.S. v. Carolene Products Co., pp. 513-520
  
• Williamson v. Lee Optical Co. and Notes, pp. 520-527
  
• Notes on Incorporation, pp. 485-497

9. National Power from the New Deal to the Rehnquist Court

A. The Modern Regulatory State

• NLRB v. Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp. and Notes, pp. 549-550
  

• United States v. Darby and Notes, pp. 551-553
  
• Wickard v. Filburn and Notes, pp. 553-556
  
• Note on Constitutional Revolution, pp. 556-558
  
• Notes on the Taxing and Spending Powers, pp. 564-570

B. The Warren Court and the Civil Rights Movement

• Notes on The 1960s Civil Rights Legislation, Heart of Atlanta Motel, and Katzenbach v. McClung, pp. 558-564
  

• Notes and South Carolina v. Katzenbach, pp. 570-576
  
• Katzenbach v. Morgan and Notes, pp. 576-591
  
• Jones v. Alfred Mayer Co. and Notes, pp. 591-594

10. The Contemporary Debate over National Power

A. The Reach of the Commerce Clause

• United States v. Lopez and Notes, pp. 600-627 (note also U.S. v. Morrison, pp. 623-24, and Gonzales v. Raich, pp. 624-27)
  

• Note on the Spending Clause and South Dakota v. Dole, p. 627-629

B. Implied Limits on Federal Regulation of the States

• Notes on State Sovereignty, pp. 649-653
  

• Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority and Notes, pp. 653-663
  
• New York v. United States and Notes, pp. 674-692
  
• Printz v. United States, pp. 693-705
  
• Alden v. Maine and Notes on the Eleventh Amendment, pp. 705-711

C. Congressional Power to Enforce the Civil War Amendments

• City of Boerne v. Flores, pp. 629-649 (note United States v. Morrison, pp. 643-646)

12. The Modern Debate over Racial Equality

A. Brown and Its Legacy

• Notes on the Background to the School Desegregation Case, pp. 893-898
  

• Brown v. Board of Education and Notes, pp. 898-904
  
• Notes on Brown and Constitutional Interpretation, pp. 904-923
  
• Reflections on the Opinion in Brown, pp. 923-927

B. School Desegregation

• Four Decades of School Desegregation, pp. 928-945
  

• Missouri v. Jenkins and Notes, pp. 945-950
  
• Note: Toward "Separate But Truly Equal"?, p. 956
  
• Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 and Notes, 2007 Supp., pp. 59-103

14. The Antidiscrimination Principle

A. Anticlassification and Antisubordination

• Loving v. Virginia and Notes, pp. 956-966
  

• Note on Discrimination Against Asian-Americans and the Black/White Paradigm, pp. 979-981
  
• What Justifies the Suspect Classification Standard, pp. 981-990

B. The Reach of the Suspect Classification Doctrine

• Johnson v. California and Notes, pp. 990-994
  

• Note on Child Placement Policies, pp. 994-999
  
• Note on Government Collection of Racial Data, pp. 999-1002
  
• Note on Mixed Race/Multiethnic Identity, pp. 1002-1004
  
• Brown v. Oneonta and Notes, pp. 1004-1007

C. What is "Race?"

• Hernandez v. New York, and Notes, pp. 1014-1016
  

• Rice v. Cayetano and Notes, pp. 1016-1020

15. What Constitutes Discrimination "based on" Race?

A. Intent

• What is a "Race-Dependent" Decision, pp. 1020-1024
  

• Note and Griggs v. Duke Power Co., pp. 1024-1026
  
• Washington v. Davis and Notes, pp. 1026-1035
  
• Commentaries on the Intent Standard, pp. 1035-1039
  
• Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp. and Notes, pp. 1039-1045

B. Race and the Criminal Process

• United States v. Clary and Notes, pp. 1045-1048
  

• McCleskey v. Kemp and Notes, pp. 1055-1064
  
• Racial Profiling and the Equal Protection Clause, pp. 1064-1067

16. Affirmative Action

• Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, pp. 1071-1077
  

• Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., and Notes, pp. 1081-1109
  
• Note on Affirmative Action and Original Intention, pp. 1114-1120
  
• Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, pp. 1120-1151

17. Gender Classifications and Gender Equality

A. Basic Theoretical Issues

• Note on Social Movements and Constitutional Change, pp. 1179-1187
  

• Notes and Frontiero v. Richardson, pp. 1188-1195
  
• Note on the Equal Rights Amendment, pp. 1195-1202
  
• What Justifies Special Constitutional Scrutiny, pp. 1202-1213
  
• Notes on the Emergence of Intermediate Scrutiny, pp. 1213-1219

B. Separate Facilities for Men and Women

• United States v. Virginia and Notes, pp. 1229-1250
  

• Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan and Notes, pp. 1250-1256
  
• Garrett v. Board of Education and Notes, pp. 1256-1259
  
• Note on Sex Segregation in Sports, pp. 1259-1262

18. What is Discrimination "on the basis of" Sex?

A. Intent

• Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney and Notes, pp. 1262-1271
  

• Note on Domestic Violence Policies, pp. 1271-1276

B. Pregnancy

• Geduldig v. Aiello and Notes, pp. 1276-1282
  

• Notes and Michael M. v. Superior Court and Notes, pp. 1283-1294
  
• Frances Olsen, Statutory Rape: A Feminist Critique of Rights Analysis, pp. 1294-1295
  
• Note on Sex Neutrality in Rape Laws, pp. 1295-1296
  
• Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs, pp. 1304-1311

C. Women in the Military

• The History of Women's Military Service and the Combat Exclusion, pp. 1311-1314
  

• The Constitutionality of the Combat Exclusion, pp. 1315-1317
  
• The Draft, pp. 1318-1323

D. Affirmative Action

• Note on Affirmative Action and Sex Discrimination, pp. 1323-1327

20. Other Suspect Classifications

A. Disabilty

• City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center and Notes, pp. pp. 1327-1338

B. Alien Status

• Cases and Notes on Citizenship and Alienage under the Equal Protection Clause, pp. 1156-1177

21. Modern Substantive Due Process: "Privacy," Sexual Autonomy or Tradition?

• Notes and Griswold v. Connecticut, pp. 1339-1353
  

• Eisenstadt v. Baird and Notes, pp. 1353-1355
  
• Notes and Michael H. v. Gerald D, pp. 1370-1386
  
• Washington v. Glucksberg, Vacco v. Quill, and Notes, pp. 1579-1592
  
• Note on the Use of Foreign and International Sources in Constitutional Interpretation, pp. 1365-1370

22. Abortion and Gender Discrimination

• Roe v. Wade and Notes, pp. 1388-1406
  

• Note: Was Roe a Political Mistake?, pp. 1407-1409
  
• Abortion and the Equal Protection Clause, pp. 1409-1419
  
• Note on Decisions After Roe, pp. 1419-1424
  
• Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey and Notes, pp. 1424-1457
  
• Stenberg v. Carhart and Notes, pp. 1457-1465
  
• Gonzales v. Carhart and Notes, 2007 Supp., pp. 105-128

23. Sexual Orientation-- Due Process or Equal Protection?

• Bowers v. Hardwick and Notes, pp. 1465-1482
  

• Lawrence v. Texas and Notes, pp. 1482-1505
  
• Romer v. Evans and Notes, pp. 1505-1518
  
• Note on Sexual Orientation as a Suspect Classification, pp. 1518-1532
  
• Note on Military Service and the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy, pp. 1536-1545
  
• Goodridge v. Department of Public Health and Notes, pp. 1545-1568

24. The Constitutional Status of the Welfare State: Rights to Government Services

• The Rise of the Modern Welfare State, pp. 1602-1606
  

• Note on the Rights of Indigents in the Criminal Justice System, pp. 1606-1609
  
• Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections and Notes, pp. 1609-1613
  
• Note on Protecting the Poor Through the Fourteenth Amendment, pp. 1613-1616
  
• Dandridge v. Williams and Notes, pp. 1616-1623
  
• San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez and Notes, pp. 1623-1641
  
• Plyler v. Doe and Notes, pp. 1641-1647
  
• Note on the Enforceability of Positive Rights, pp. 1648-1652
  
• Note and Deshaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services, pp. 1652-1658
  
• Castle Rock v. Gonzales and Notes pp. 1658-1664
  
• Lyng v. International Union, United Auto Workers and Notes, pp. 1596-1602
  
• Note on Unconstitutional Conditions, pp. 1688-1692
  
• Maher v. Roe and Notes, pp. 1692-1702