LAW-4004 Civil Rights Litigation: Police Misconduct
In 1961, the Supreme Court dusted off the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 (42 U.S.C. s. 1983) to provide a way for citizens to sue public officials for civil rights violations. These claims are often called constitutional torts. Today, nearly 40,000 civil rights cases are brought under s. 1983 each year. Many of these cases deal with police misconduct, such as illegal searches and seizures, excessive force, and racial profiling. This course will provide students an opportunity to learn how civil rights litigation works in practice. Students will have multiple opportunities to make oral arguments, write simulated memos, and draft briefs. The focus of this class will be to gain experience-and receive feedback-on applying s. 1983 doctrine to the craft of lawyering. Students will be asked to understand, and to argue, both sides of controversial issues, regardless of their personal opinions. Students will be required to submit a brief. MEETS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING REQUIREMENT