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Course Number: LAW 648C; ULWR

Course Credits: 2

This seminar examines the issue of how responsive government is to the electorate in protecting and advancing the rights of individuals and of the public as a whole. We will look at the interaction between politics, policy and the law, taking into account current debates about voting rights and election rules. Our study will concentrate on aspects of federal and state law governing recent major elections (e.g. the elections of 2000 and 2020), applicable court decisions and the Voting Rights Acts. We also will examine the continuing challenge of the one person-one vote principle vital to representative government, i.e., the equal protection clause manifested in substantive equal representation. Students will be encouraged to follow closely current developments in the field and to engage actively in the debates surrounding these issues.