Constitutional Law I
Spring 2019
Prof. Devlin
Our text for the semester will be: Sullivan & Fallon, Constitutional Law, (Foundation Press, 19 th ed.
2016) and the 2018 Supplement.
Assignment Sheet #1
1.
Introduction: to the course, and to the constitutional history of United States.
Find & read: a copy of the “Articles of Confederation” of 1777 (which should be readily
available on the internet)
2.
Introduction to the text and structure of the United States Constitution
Text:
pp. lix-lxxiii: Read and outline the United States Constitution and Amendments I - XV.
Topic I: Judicial Review: Extent and Limits
3.
Marbury and the foundations of the Court’s power of constitutional review
Text:
4.
The extent of the Court’s power: Federal judicial review of the constitutionality of the decisions
of state courts or the acts of state governments.
Text:
5.
pp. 23-30, 901-907 (United States v. Dickerson; City of Boerne v. Flores & notes 1-3
following)
(A) Statutory and political constraints on the powers of federal courts
(B) Introduction to the legal limits on the Court’s power – (1) the “case or controversy”
limitation
Text:
7.
pp. 16-23 (Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee; Cooper v. Aaron)
The extent of the Court’s power: Imposing its understanding of the Constitution on coordinate
branches of the federal government.
Text:
6.
pp. 1-16 (Marbury v. Madison & notes following)
pp. 30-38 (Ex Parte McArdle & materials on “advisory opinions”)
pp. 58-60 (materials on mootness & ripeness)
Constitutional and prudential constraints on federal courts (2): the ban on “political questions.”
Text:
pp. 60-76 (Baker v. Carr; Powell v. McCormack; Goldwater v. Carter; Nixon v. United
States; Bush v. Gore)
Constitutional Law I
Spring 2019
Prof. Devlin
Assignment Sheet #2
8.
Constitutional and prudential constraints on federal courts (3): Applying “political question”
analysis to the problem of electoral gerrymandering
Text:
9.
Constitutional and prudential constraints on federal courts (3): the requirement of “standing”
Text:
10.
pp. 814-825 (Reynolds v. Sims; Gaffney v. Cummings; Davis v. Bandemer; Vieth v.
Jubelirer; Arizona Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission)
pp, 38-43, 47-58 (Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife;and notecases – Allen, v. Wright; Craig
v. Boren; Flast v. Cohen; U.S. v. Richardson; Schlesinger v. Reservists Comm.
to Stop the War: Bennett v. Spear; Raines v. Byrd; FEC v. Akins; Vermont
Agency of Natural Resources v. U.S.)
Recent cases exploring the requirements and limits of standing.
Text:
Supp:
pp. 37-38, 44-58 (Massachusetts v. EPA; Clapper v. Amnesty International USA:
Hollingsworth v. Perry; United States v. Windsor)
pp.1-2 (Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins)
Topic II: Allocation of Power Between the States and National Government
11.
The basic doctrines: the nation and the states in a federal system
Text:
12.
More on the basic doctrine: cases exploring the 10 th Amendment and the “necessary & proper”
clause
Text:
13.
pp. 95-114 (U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton; U.S. v. Comstock)
Particular constitutional grants of power to the federal government: Commerce Clause (1):
interpretion of federal power under the Commerce Clause before 1937
Text:
14.
pp. 79-95 (McCulloch v. Maryland and notes following)
pp. 115-124 (Gibbons v. Ogden; U.S. v. E.C. Knight Co.; Houston E. & W. Ry. Co. v.
U.S.; Swift & Co. v. U.S.; Champion v. Ames; Hippolite Egg Co. v. U. S.; Hoke
v. U.S.; Hammer v. Dagenhart; Schecter Poultry Co. v. US; Carter v. Carter
Coal Co)
Particular constitutional grants of power to the federal government: Commerce Clause (2):
expansion of federal power under the New Deal Revolution and thereafter
19th ed: pp. 124-142 (NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.;U.S. v. Darby; Wickard v. Filburn;
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S.; Katzenbach v. McClung; Perez v. U.S.)
Constitutional Law I
Spring 2019
Prof. Devlin
Assignment Sheet #3
15
.
Particular constitutional grants of power to the federal government: Commerce Clause (3): recent
cases limiting federal power under the “interstate commerce”clause
Text:
16.
Extrinsic “state autonomy” limits on Congress’ power under the commerce clause
Text:
Supp:
17.
pp. 171-186 (National League of Cities v, Usery; Garcia v. San Antonio Metro. Transit
Authority; New York v. United States; Printz v. United States)
pp. 3-4 (Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association)
Interpreting other constitutional grants of power to the federal government: power to tax
Text:
18.
pp, 142-171 (U.S. v. Lopez; United States v. Morrison; Gonzales v. Raich; National
Federation of Independent Businesses v Sibelius)
pp.195-204 (Bailey v. Drexel Furniture Co.; U.S. v. Kahriger; National Federation of
Independent Business v. Sibelius)
Interpreting other constitutional grants of power to the federal government: power to spend
Text:
pp. 204-225 (U.S. v. Butler; Charles C. Steward Machine Co. v. Davis; South Dakota v.
Dole; NFIB v. Sibelius )
*
19.
*
Federalism limits on state regulatory authority: Preemption of state authority by valid federal law
Text:
20.
*
pp. 278-294 (Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Cons. & Dev.
Comm’n; Rice v. Santa Fe Elev. Corp.; Hines v. Davidowitz; Fla. Lime &
Avocado Growers, Inc. v. Paul; Gade v. Nat’l Solid Waste Man. Ass’n; Wyeth v.
Levine; Crosby v. National Trade Council; Prudential Ins. Co. v. Benjamin; hite
v. Mass. Construction Council)
Federalism limits on state regulatory authority: Introduction to and early history of the “dormant”
commerce clause.
Text:
Skim:
Read:
pp. 227-236 (Gibbons v. Ogden (part 2))
pp. 237-254 (Philadelphia v. New Jersey; Maine v. Taylor; Hughes v.
Oklahoma; Camps Newfoundland/ Owatonna, Inc. v. Harrison; West Lynn
Creamery, Inc. v. Healy; Dean Milk Co. v. Madison; C.A. Carbone, Inc. v.
Clarkstown; United Haulers Ass’n v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management
Authority)
Constitutional Law I
Spring 2019
Prof. Devlin
Assignment Sheet #4
21.
Modern federalism limits on state regulatory authority through the “dormant” Commerce Clause
(2): non-facial discrimination against economic activity from other states.
Text:
22.
Modern federalism limits on state regulatory authority through the “dormant” Commerce Clause
(3): State laws that do not discriminate, but which nevertheless “unduly burden” interstate
commerce
Text:
23.
pp. 267-277 (Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc.; South Carolina State Highway Dept. v.
Barnwell Bros.; Southern Pacific Co. v. Arizona; Bibb v. Navajo Freight Lines,
Inc.; Kassel v. Consolidated Freightways Corp.; Lewis v. BT Investment
Managers, Inc.; CTS Corp. v. Dynamics Corp. of America)
Modern federalism limits on state regulatory authority (4): the “market participant” doctrine; (5)
the “privileges & immunities” clause of Article IV; and (6) Congress’ authority to empower states
to act in ways otherwise forbidden by the dormant commerce clause
Text:
24.
pp. 260-267 (Baldwin v. G.A.F. Seelig, Inc; H.P. Hood & Sons v. DuMond; Hunt v.
Washington State Apple Advertising Comm’n; Bacchus Imports, Ltd. v. Dias;
Exxon v. Governor of Maryland; Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co.)
pp. 254-259; 278-285; 294-297 (South-Central Timber Devel. Inc. v. Wunnicke; United
Building & Construction Trades Council v. Camden; Sup. Ct. of New Hampshire
v. Piper; Prudential Ins. Co. v. Benjamin; White v. Mass. Const. Council)
Final aspects of the relations between federal and state governments: (1) Congressional consent to
state regulation; (2) state taxation of interstate commerce & (3) intergovernmental immunities
Text:
Supp:
pp. 294-291 (Prudential Ins. Co. v. Benjamin; Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady;
Quill Corp. V. North Dakota; Comptroller of the Treasury of Maryland v. Wynn)
pp. 5-7 (South Dakota v. Wayfair)
Topic III: Allocation of Powers Within the Federal Government: Congress vs. President
25.
Intro ro allocation of powers analysis: basic issues and analytic approaches & the implicit
distinction between domestic and foreign affairs
Text:
26.
pp. 301-314; 322-330 (Youngstown Sheet & Tube v. Sawyer; Dames & Moore v. Regan)
Allocation of powers in the domestic sphere: (1) allocating control over the federal bureaucracy:
(1) the “legislative veto;” and (2) executive refusal to spend allocated funds
Text: pp. 380-397 (INS v. Chadha; Clinton v. New York)
Constitutional Law I
Spring 2019
Prof. Devlin
Assignment Sheet #5
27.
Allocation of powers in the domestic sphere: (3) allocating control over the federal bureaucracy
& appointment and removal of government officials
Text:
Supp:
28.
Allocation of powers in the foreign sphere (1):: congressional and executive control over war and
foreign policy in general
Text:
29:
pp. 333-380 (Ex Parte Milligan; Ex Parte Quirin; Johnson v. Eisentrager; Rasul v. Bush;
Hamdi v. Rumsfeld; Hamdan v. Rumsfeld; Boumedienne v.Bush)
Allocation of powers in the foreign sphere (4): control over immigration and Trump’s travel ban
Supp:
31.
314-323; 327-333; 413-421 (U.S. v. Belmont; Medellin v. Texas; Zivotofsky v. Kerry;
Woods v. Cloyd W. Miller Corp.; Missouri v. Holland)
Allocation of powers in the foreign sphere (2): the use of military tribunals in times of war; and
(3) application to the “war on terrorism”
Text:
30.
pp. 397-412 (Buckley v. Valeo; Bowsher v. Synar; Myers v. U.S.; Humphries’ Executor
v. U.S.; Morrison v. Olsen; Mistretta v. United States)
pp. 18-20 (Lucia v. SEC)
pp. 9-18 (Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project; Trump v. Hawaii)
Allocation of powers: executive privilege & immunities
Text:
pp. 421-439 (United States v. Nixon ; Nixon v. Fitzgerald; Clinton v. Jones)
Topic IV: Introduction to Constitutional Protection of Individual Rights: Economic Rights
32.
Introduction to constitutional protection of rights (1): the “eminent domain” clause: defining the
concepts of “public use” and “taking”
Text:
33.
pp. 568-580 (Berman v. Parker; Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff; Kelo v. New
London)
Introduction to constitutional protection of rights (2): more on the “eminent domain” clause:
Text:
pp. 580-587 (Miller v. Schoene; Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon; Keystone Bituminous
Coal Ass’n v. Debenedictis; Penn Central Trans. Co. v. N.Y.C.)
Constitutional Law I
Spring 2019
Prof. Devlin
Assignment Sheet #6
34.
Introduction to constitutional protection of rights: (3) when does regulation of use become a
“taking”?
Text
35.
Introduction to constitutional protection of rights: (3) the “obligation of contracts” clause
Text:
36
pp. 587-594 (Loretto v. Teleprompter Manhattan CATV Corp.;Lucas v. South Carolina
Coastal Council; Palazzolo v. Rhode Island; Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council
v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency; Nollan v. Cal. Coastal Comm’n; Dolan v.
City of Tigard)
pp. 594-600 (Home Building & Loan Ass’n v. Blaisdell; United States Trust Co. New
Jersey; Allied Structural Steel Co. v. Spannaus)
Introduction to constitutional protection of rights: (4) introduction to the Civil Rights
Amendments; & (5) the “privileges and immunities” clause of the 14 th Amendment
Text:
pp. 425-446 (Barron v. Mayor & City Council of Baltimore; Slaughterhouse Cases:
Saenz v. Roe)