Courts and Public Policy POLT 797/898B Spring 2024

This course will introduce students to the political science, historical and legal literature that attempts to describe, illustrate and evaluate the desirability and efficacy of judges attempting to resolve large scale social problems in the United States. Crucial in this course is the distinction between the legitimacy of courts making policy versus their capacity to do so. Topics discussed include the organization and scope of judicial power, as well as its limitations, constitutionality, internally and externally from other parts of government and the society itself.  Specific fields of policy making will include those in the realm of what we call ‘institutional reform’ (desegregation, prison reform, police procedure, and legislative redistricting).