Balkin– Con Law Fall 2026 Syllabus

Constitutional Law

Yale Law School

Syllabus

Unless otherwise noted, all page references are to Levinson, Balkin, Amar, Siegel and Rodriguez, Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking (9th ed. , 2026). Supplemental Materials are directly linked to or are available on Canvas.

We will meet regularly on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4:10pm to 6:00pm in Baker Hall, Room 124 on the first floor of Baker Hall.

We will also meet on Friday, August 28th, from 2:10pm to 4:00pm, and on Friday, October 2nd, from 2:10pm to 4:00pm, also in Baker Hall, Room 124.

My regular office hours (after the first two weeks– please check the times on Canvas) are Thursdays from 4:10pm to 5:10pm in Baker Hall Room 411B. If that is inconvenient, you can also always e-mail me at jack.balkin@yale.edu to set up a time to meet on Zoom.

1. Introduction: Interpreting the Constitution (8/25/2026)

A. Getting to know the text

The Constitution of the United States, pp. 1 - 17

B. Kinds of constitutional arguments

Note on the Louisiana Purchase, pp. 165 - 169
Note on the First Bank of the United States, pp. 30 - 37

C. McCulloch v. Maryland and implied federal powers

Note on the Second Bank, pp. 41 - 43
McCulloch v. Maryland and Notes, pp. 44 - 61 (first question), 72 - 80 (second question)
Note on Constitutional Interpretation, pp. 61 - 68

2. Judicial Review (08/28/2026 at 2:10pm, Baker Hall 124)

A. The Election of 1800 and Marbury v. Madison

Note on Judicial Review before Marbury, pp. 117 - 120
The Election of 1800 and Notes, pp. 120 - 123
Note on Political Early Struggles over the Federal Judiciary, pp. 123 - 126
Stuart v. Laird and Notes, pp. 126 - 127
Marbury v. Madison and Notes, pp. 128 - 149

3. Constitutional Interpreters and Judicial Review (08/31/2026)

A. Judicial Review

Notes on Jurisdiction Stripping, Standing, and Political Questions, pp. 149 - 154
Theories of Judicial Review, pp. 154 - 164 (note Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee, pp. 156 - 157)
Note on Judicial “Good Behavior” and Lifetime Tenure, p. 164 - 165

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

Andrew Jackson’s Veto Message and Notes, pp. 82 - 88
Note on Presidential Authority, pp. 88 - 90

4. Commerce “among the several states” (09/01/2026)

Gibbons v. Ogden and Notes, pp. 198 - 202
Note on Federal Preemption, pp. 202 - 213
Note on Interstate Federalism and the National Economy, pp. 844 - 854
Note on Internal Improvements, pp. 222 - 228 (skim)

5. The Jacksonian Era and Slavery (09/04/2026)

Note on the Natural Law Tradition, Vested Rights, and Calder v. Bull, pp. 177-184 (Note particularly Barron v. City of Baltimore, p. 183)
Note on The Jacksonian Era, pp. 229 - 232 (up to fn. 9).
Note on the Federal Consensus on Slavery, p. 258 - 260
Notes and Prigg v. Pennsylvania, pp. 265 - 275
Note on the rights of Black People before the Civil War, pp. 275 - 277
Note on Prelude to Secession, pp. 277 - 280
Dred Scott v. Sandford and Notes, pp. 280 - 300
Frederick Douglass, The Constitution of the United States: Is it Pro-Slavery or Anti-Slavery? and Notes, pp. 300 - 305

6. The Civil War and the War Power (09/08/2026)

Note and The Prize Cases, pp. 321 - 326
Note and Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer, pp. 855 - 878
Note on the War Power, pp. 973 - 985
Lincoln and the Suspension of Habeas Corpus, pp. 326 - 331
Note on the Emancipation Proclamation, pp. 331 - 336
Note on Reverence for Law, pp. 337 - 339
The Legal Tender Cases, pp. 346 - 355
Table of Justices, pp. 1709 - 1726

7. Reconstruction and Reaction I– Adoption of the Reconstruction Amendments (09/14/2026)

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, pp. 12 - 13
History of the Adoption of the Reconstruction Amendments, pp. 357 - 368
Senator Howard’s Speech on the Fourteenth Amendment and Notes, pp. 368 - 381
United States v. Hall, pp. 381 - 382
Note on The Unusual Procedural History of the Fourteenth Amendment, pp. 382 - 391
Note on The Fifteenth Amendment, pp. 391 - 392
The Slaughterhouse Cases and Notes, pp. 395 - 412
United States v. Cruikshank and Notes, pp. 412 - 413
Bradwell v. Illinois and Notes, pp. 413 - 416
Note on The New Departure and Minor v. Happersett, pp. 416 - 423
Note on The Fourteenth Amendment, Birthright Citizenship, and American Indians, pp. 423 - 426 (Compare United States v. Wong Kim Ark, p. 372 note 1).
Trump v. Barbara (on Canvas)(skim)

8. Reconstruction and Reaction II–Equal Protection and Congress’s Enforcement Power (09/15/2026)

Strauder v. West Virginia and Notes, pp. 427 - 434
The Civil Rights Cases and Notes, pp. 434 - 449

9. Reconstruction and Reaction III– The Reconstruction Amendments and Race (09/22/2026)

Plessy v. Ferguson and Notes, pp. 450 - 462
Charles Black, the Lawfulness of the Segregation Decisions, pp. 462 - 464
Note on The Spirit of Plessy and Giles v. Harris, pp. 464 - 469

10. The Lochner Era (09/28/2026)

A. Police Powers Jurisprudence

Notes on the Rise of Due Process Protection Against State Economic Regulation, pp. 490 - 494
Note on the Application of the Bill of Rights to the States, pp. 494 - 498
Lochner v. State of New York and Notes, pp. 498 - 504
Notes on the Jurisprudence of the Lochner Era, pp. 504 - 517 (note Coppage v. Kansas, pp. 507 - 509, Jacobson v. Massachusetts, p. 509 - 510, and Muller v. Oregon, pp. 510 - 511)
Adkins v. Children’s Hospital, pp. 517 - 518

B. The Decline of Police Powers Jurisprudence

Nebbia v. New York and Notes, pp. 564 - 565
Notes and West Coast Hotel v. Parrish, pp. 575 - 578

11. The New Deal and the Emergence of the Modern Paradigm of Judicial Scrutiny (09/29/2026)

U.S. v. Carolene Products Co. and Notes, pp. 578 - 586
Williamson v. Lee Optical Co. and Notes, pp. 586 - 594

12. The New Deal Struggle and the Revolution of 1937 (10/02/2026 at 2:10pm, Baker Hall 124)

A. The Court Enforces Dual Federalism

Hammer v. Dagenhart and Notes, pp. 530 - 538
Bailey v. Drexel Furniture Co. and Notes, pp. 538 - 540

B. The Court Strikes Down Early New Deal Programs

Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States and Notes, pp. 594 - 596
Carter v. Carter Coal Co. and Notes, pp. 596 - 601
United States v. Butler and Notes, pp. 601 - 606

C. Roosevelt Responds

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Fireside Chat on the Court Packing Plan, pp. 606 - 610
NLRB v. Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp. and Notes, pp. 610 - 612
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Speech on Constitution Day, pp. 612 - 614
Table of Justices, pp. 1709 - 1726

13. The Emergence of the Modern Regulatory State (10/05/2026)

A. The New Deal Settlement

United States v. Darby and Notes, pp. 614 - 617
Wickard v. Filburn and Notes, pp. 617 - 620
Note on Constitutional Revolution, pp. 620 - 622
Notes on the Taxing and Spending Powers, pp. 622 - 625

B. The Civil Rights Act of 1964

Notes on The Civil Rights Movement and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, pp. 632 - 638
Note on Congressional Power to Pass the Civil Rights Bill, pp. 638 - 640
Heart of Atlanta Motel and Katzenbach v. McClung, pp. 640 - 645

C. The Rights Revolution

Note on Incorporation of the Bill of Rights Against the States, pp. 625 - 629
The Warren Court and the Rights Revolution, 629 - 631

14. The Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act (10/06/2026)

A. The Voting Rights Act of 1965

Note on the Reconstruction Power in the Civil Rights Era, pp. 645 - 646
Note on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, pp. 646 - 651
Notes and South Carolina v. Katzenbach, pp. 651 - 655
Katzenbach v. Morgan and Notes, pp. 655 - 663
Jones v. Alfred Mayer Co. and Notes, pp. 663 - 666
Oregon v. Mitchell and Notes, pp. 667 - 669

B. The Roberts Court and the Right to Vote

Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, pp. 778 - 802
Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, pp. 802 - 806
Louisiana v. Callais (on Canvas)
Allen v. Milligan (on Canvas)

15. The Contemporary Debate over National Power I (10/13/2026)

A. The Commerce Power

Introduction, pp. 671 - 672
United States v. Lopez and Notes, pp. 673 - 691
U.S. v. Morrison, pp. 691 - 693
Scarborough v. United States, pp. 693 - 695
Gonzales v. Raich and Notes, pp. 695 - 700
NFIB v. Sebelius and Notes, pp. 701 - 714

B. The Taxing Power

NFIB v. Sebelius and Notes, pp. 714 - 723
Moore v. United States, pp. 723 - 725

C. The Spending Power

Note on the Spending Clause and South Dakota v. Dole, pp. 726 - 728
NFIB v. Sebelius and Notes, pp. 728 - 741
Landor v Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety (On Canvas)

16. The Contemporary Debate over National Power II (10/19/2026)

A. Implied Limits on Federal Regulation of the States

Notes and New York v. United States, pp. 816 - 817
Printz v. United States and Notes, pp. 817 - 832
Note on State Sovereign Immunity, pp. 833 - 838

B. Congressional Power to Enforce the Civil War Amendments

City of Boerne v. Flores and Notes, pp. 749 - 764
United States v. Morrison, pp. 764 - 770
Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, pp. 770 - 778

17. Presidential Power (10/20/2026)

A. Presidential Appointments Requiring Senate Confirmation

Morrison v. Olson and Notes, pp. 878 - 887
Edmonds v. United States and Notes, pp. 887 - 890
Kennedy v. Braidwood Managment, Inc., pp. 896 - 897

B. Presidential Removal and Independent Federal Agencies

Morrison v. Olson and Notes, pp. 904 - 916
Trump v. Slaughter (on Canvas)
Trump v. Cook (on Canvas)

C. The President and the Administrative State

INS v. Chadha, 944 - 967
Note on Delegation and Deference, pp. 967 - 973
Learning Resources, Inc., v. Trump (on Canvas)

18. Presidential Privileges and Immunities (10/26/2026)

A. Executive Privilege

United States v. Nixon, pp. 1024 - 1036
Note on Congressional Oversight, pp. 1036 - 1039

B. Presidential Immunities

Note on Presidential Privileges and Immunities, pp. 1051 - 1054
Trump v. United States and Notes, pp. 1070 - 1106

C. Presidential Selection

Note on Presidential Selection, pp. 1106 - 1109
Trump v. Anderson and Notes, pp. 1109 - 1119

Optional

Trump v. Vance, pp. 1055 - 1070
Trump v. Mazars, pp. 1039 - 1051

19. Brown v. Board of Education (10/27/2026)

A. Brown v. Board of Education

Notes on the Background to the School Desegregation Case, pp. 1121 - 1127 (skim)
Brown v. Board of Education, Bolling v. Sharpe, and Notes, pp. 1127 - 1136
The Southern Manifesto and Notes, pp. 1136 - 1138
Brown and the Original Understanding, pp. 1138 - 1144
Brown II and notes, pp. 1144 - 1151 (skim)

20. Brown and Its Legacy (11/02/2026)

A. Brown in the Roberts Court

Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 and Notes, pp. 1151 - 1174

B. Anticlassification and Antisubordination

Korematsu v. United States and Notes, pp. 1174 - 1181
Loving v. Virginia and Notes, pp. 1182 - 1195
Note on the Reach of the Suspect Classification Doctrine, pp. 1195 - 1201

21. What Constitutes Discrimination “based on” Race? (11/09/2026)

A. Discriminatory Intention

Notes and Griggs v. Duke Power, pp. 1203 - 1209
Washington v. Davis and Notes, pp. 1209 - 1214
Village of Arlington Heights v. Metro Housing Development Corp. pp. 1214 - 1225
Mullin v. Doe (on Canvas)

B. State Action

Note: State Action In The New Deal/Civil Rights Regime, pp. 1311 - 1317

22. Affirmative Action (11/10/2026)

Notes and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, pp. 1225 - 1236
Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., Adarand Constructors v. Pena, and Notes, pp. 1236 - 1252
Grutter v. Bollinger, Gratz v. Bollinger, and Notes, pp. 1252 - 1267
Students For Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College , pp. 1267 - 1310
DOJ Memo on Disparate Impact
DOJ Memo on University Admissions

23. Sex Classifications and Sex Equality (11/16/2026)

Frontiero v. Richardson and Notes, pp. 1334-1348
United States v. Virginia and Notes, pp. 1361-1378
Geduldig v. Aiello and Notes, pp. 1391 - 1395
United States v. Skrmetti, pp 1414 - 1444
West Virginia v. B.P.J. (on Canvas)

24. Other Suspect Classifications and Fundamental Rights (11/17/2026)

A. Alienage and Other Suspect Classifications

Note on Other Suspect Bases of Classification, pp. 1317 - 1322
Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center and Notes, pp. 1322 - 1330

B. Equal Protection and Fundamental Rights

Notes and Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, pp. 1652 - 1659
Note on the Right to Travel, pp. 1659 - 1662
Note on Protecting the Poor Through the Fourteenth Amendment, pp. 1662 - 1666
Dandridge v. Williams and Notes, pp. 1666 - 1673
San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez and Notes, pp. 1673 - 1688
Note on the Enforceability of Positive Rights, pp. 1695 - 1701

25. Modern Substantive Due Process: “Privacy,” Sexual Autonomy or Tradition? (11/23/2026)

A. Reproductive Freedom

Historical Roots of Fundamental Rights Adjudication, pp. 1445 - 1452
Griswold v. Connecticut and Notes, pp. 1452 - 1473
Note on The Reach of Griswold, pp. 1473 - 1476

B. Sexual Orientation

Introduction, pp. 1540 - 1542
Bowers v. Hardwick and Notes, pp. 1542 - 1550
Notes and Lawrence v. Texas and Notes, pp. 1550 - 1569
Note on Same Sex Marriage, pp. 1569 - 1574
Obergefell v. Hodges and Notes, pp. 1574 - 1599
Note on Equality Reasoning in LGB Cases, pp 1599 - 1602
Balkin, Obergefell v. Hodges: A Critical Introduction (on Canvas)(optional)

26. Abortion and Sex Discrimination (11/24/2026)

Roe v. Wade and Notes, pp. 1476 - 1481
Casey v. Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, pp. 1481 - 1491
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization 1491 - 1540
Balkin, Roe v. Wade: An Engine of Controversy (on Canvas)(optional)

27. The Second Amendment (11/30/2026)

District of Columbia v. Heller and Notes, pp. 1606 - 1619
New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen and Notes, pp. 1619 - 1625
United States v. Rahimi and Notes, pp. 1626 - 1650
United States v. Hemani (on Canvas)
Wolford v. Lopez (on Canvas)