Capitol_Idea wrote:Hand wrote:Capitol_Idea wrote:Hahahahahhaha
maybe re-enroll to get a useless LLM just to share the experience dude
Yes my entire gripe with GULC was really that it just didn't have enough Trump in it
haha exactly, the one thing that was lacking, everything else here is ~perfect~
I really hope they'll offer this course again in the 2018-19 year btw, should be of interest to the ol' tiffster
The Trump Presidency: Legal, Political and Moral Problems
Professors Martin Lederman and Louis Seidman
J.D. Course 1463 (cross-listed) | 3 credit hours
Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election has raised a host of constitutional, policy, and moral concerns. For some Americans, the Trump presidency promises long-delayed and much needed reforms vital to our future. For others, it threatens the very survival of the republic.
This deep and acrimonious division, in turn, raises serious questions about whether Americans still share enough common ground to function as a thriving democracy. It also raises questions about constitutional law. Can adherence to the constitution or to constitutional values bridge this disagreement? Are our constitutional structures sufficiently robust to ward off authoritarianism? If not, are there other social or political structures that will serve this purpose? Is authoritarianism a serious threat under current circumstances?
In addition to these broad and existential questions about the country’s future, the Trump presidency poses a host of narrower, legal and related policy questions about matters such as the appropriate form of immigration policy, the putative need for electoral reform, the problem of providing adequate health care and controlling costs, the role of courts in curbing presidential power, and the virtues or vices of free trade.
The Trump phenomenon did not emerge from nowhere. It is part of a world-wide erosion of the liberal consensus that has dominated politics since the end of World War II. That consensus is threatened by the emergence of strong nationalist and populist forces. We will explore the possible causes of this change and the implications it holds.
For many of us, the Trump presidency also poses personal challenges. Is civil disobedience an appropriate response? Should a lawyer accept a civil service job while Donald Trump is president? Should lawyers who already have these positions resign? Is it ever appropriate for a government lawyer to take steps to oppose the policy aims of political appointees?
The aim of this course is to examine these and related questions in a calm and analytic fashion. The course is open to students of all political persuasions. It would be foolish to suppose that we can talk about these issues without having our political views influence the discussion, but we expect all participants to be respectful of, and open to, the positions of fellow participants.
Learning Goals for this course:
1. To master a variety of complex legal questions raised by the Trump presidency.
2. To learn about and develop informed views about important policy choices raised by the Trump presidency.
3. To examine the efficacy and desirability of various constitutional structures as they intersect with the Trump presidency and the system by which Trump was elected.
4. To think in a serious way about political disagreement, how it should be resolved, and how a liberal democracy can deal justly and effectively with deep cultural, social, and political divisions.
5. To model among ourselves how people who disagree can talk candidly, respectfully, and forcefully about their disagreements.
