This course introduces students to legislative process and the nature of statutory construction. This course also explores the role of public law, legislation, and administrative regulations. The course may include: how Congress creates legislation; the variety of statutes: criminal, remedial, and regulatory; how courts construe and apply statutes; understanding the nature and role of administrative agencies; judicial standards of deference in reviewing administrative regulations; and agency adjudication.

This foundational course is part of the Core Curriculum. All students are required to complete this course during the second semester of the 1L year. Taught during the first week of the spring term in an intensive condensed fashion, students spend substantial class time engaged in active learning exercises like analyzing actual statutory materials, applying those materials to a range of factual scenarios, and constructing interpretive arguments to address statutory ambiguities.

1 Credit