Constitutional Law–Fall Semester 2013

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 2013 Supplement to the casebook are noted as “2013 Supplement.”

1. Introduction: Interpreting the Constitution (9/09/2013)

  • 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 (9/10/2013 and 9/16/2013)

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. Interpretation by the States and the early debate over freedom of expression

  • 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 (9/17/2013)

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

  • 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 (9/23/2013)

  • 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 (omit discussion note 9)
  • Note 1a on Youngstown, 2013 Supplement, pp. 228-229
  • Note on the Power to Wage War, 2013 Supplement, pp. 229-237
  • Note on the Emancipation Proclamation, pp. 279-283

5. The Civil War, Emergency and Civil Rights (9/24/2013)

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

  • Note on Reverence for Law, pp. 283-285
  • Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, pp. 841-864 (omit discussion notes)
  • Notes on Hamdi, Military Tribunals, and Habeas Corpus, 2013 Supp. pp. 238-250
  • Note: After Boumediene, 2013 Supp. pp. 250-253
  • Note on Targeted Killings, 2013 Supp. pp. 253-256
  • Note on Torture and Presidential Power, pp. 878-881
  • Korematsu v. United States and Notes, pp. 966-979

6. Reconstruction and Reaction (9/30/2013, 10/1/2013, 10/7/2013)

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, 2013 Supplement, pp. 1-9
  • Note on The Unusual Procedural History of the Fourteenth Amendment, pp. 310-319
  • Notes on Birthright Citizenship, pp. 346-351

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

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

  • Women’s Citizenship in the Antebellum Era, pp. 164-168
  • Bradwell v. Illinois and Notes, pp. 337-339
  • Note on The New Departure and Minor v. Happersett, pp. 340-346

C. The Reconstruction Amendments and Race

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

  • The Civil Rights Cases and Notes, pp. 373-385
  • 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

7. The Lochner Era (10/8/2013)

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

8. The New Deal and the Emergence of the Modern Paradigm of Judicial Scrutiny (10/15/2013)

  • 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 (10/21/2013)

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 (10/22/2013 , 10/28/2013 and 10/29/2013)

A. The Commerce and General Welfare Clauses

  • 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
  • NFIB v. Sebelius and Notes, 2013 Supplement, pp. 100-172
  • United States v. Comstock, 2013 Supplement., pp. 95-100

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)

  • Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, 2013 Supplement, pp. 174-208

D. Recess Appointments

  • Noel Canning v. NLRB, 2013 Supplement, pp. 216-228

11. The Modern Debate over Racial Equality (11/04/2013)

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
  • Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 and Notes, 2013 Supp., pp. 257-301

12. The Antidiscrimination Principle (11/5/2013 and 11/11/2013)

A. Anticlassification and Antisubordination

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

B. The Reach of the Suspect Classification Doctrine

  • Note on Child Placement Policies, pp. 994-999

  • Brown v. Oneonta and Notes, pp. 1004-1007

C. What Constitutes Discrimination “based on” Race?

  • Note and Griggs v. Duke Power Co., pp. 1024-1026

  • Washington v. Davis and Notes, pp. 1026-1035
  • Ricci v. DeStefano, 2013 Supplement, pp. 301-307

D. 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

13. Affirmative Action (11/11/2013 and 11/12/2013)

  • 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
  • Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin and Notes, 2013 Supp., pp. 307-310

14. Gender Classifications and Gender Equality (11/18/2013)

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

C. What is Discrimination “on the Basis of” Sex?– Intent

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

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

D. What is Discrimination “on the Basis of” Sex?– Pregnancy

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

  • Note and Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs, pp. 1304-1311
  • Coleman v. Court of Appeals of Maryland, 2013 Supplement, pp. 173-174

15. Equal Protection and Fundamental Rights (11/19/2013)

A. Other Suspect Classifications

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

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

B. Equal Protection and Fundamental Rights

  • 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

16. Modern Substantive Due Process: “Privacy,” Sexual Autonomy or Tradition? (12/2/2013)

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

  • Eisenstadt v. Baird and Notes, pp. 1353-1355
  • Roe v. Wade and Notes, pp. 1388-1406
  • Note: Was Roe a Political Mistake?, pp. 1407-1409
  • Note on Unconstitutional Conditions, pp. 1688-1692
  • Maher v. Roe and Notes, pp. 1692-1702

17. Abortion and Gender Discrimination (12/3/2013)

  • 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
  • Gonzales v. Carhart and Notes, 2013 Supplement, pp. 311-334

18. Sexual Orientation– Due Process or Equal Protection? (12/09/2013)

  • Lawrence v. Texas and Notes, pp. 1482-1505

  • Romer v. Evans and Notes, pp. 1505-1518
  • High Tech Gays v. Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office and Notes, pp. 1522-1532
  • United States v. Windsor, 2013 Supplement, pp. 335-358.
  • Hollingsworth v. Perry, 2013 Supplement, pp. 358-361.

19. The Second Amendment and Constitutional Change (12/10/2013)

  • District of Columbia v. Heller, 2013 Supplement, pp. 11-59

  • McDonald v. City of Chicago, 2013 Supplement, pp. 59-93