Categories: Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution Appellate Practice

Instructor(s)

Greene, Linda

Course Data

Room 2225
MW 4:10pm-5:30pm

Pass/Fail: Yes

Course Description

Civil Procedure II, which satisfies the Jurisdiction of Courts requirement, covers personal jurisdiction, federal subject matter jurisdiction, venue and motions to transfer, the Erie Doctrine, the rules of joinder, and the preclusive effect of judgments. The course covers the interpretation of several key federal statutes (e.g., §§ 1331, 1332, 1367, 1404) and a number of important United States Supreme Court cases concerning matters of judicial federalism and due process. It is a fundamental course for all law students who intend to litigate or to participate in transactions that might lead to litigation.

In semesters when a 4th credit is available: students who choose to earn a fourth credit will write a 10-15 page paper on the recent decisions of the 7th Circuit in a subject area covered in my Civil Procedure II course. I will meet with those who choose the fourth credit option to assign your subject and will provide feedback on your outline of the paper.

LEARNING OUTCOMES AKA MY PEDAGOGICAL OBJECTIVES AND MY DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR YOU:

1. BY THE END OF THE COURSE, I WILL EXPECT YOU TO USE LEGAL LANGUAGE TO COMPETENTLY AND CONFIDENTLY
- identify the legal issues raised by the cases we read and the problems we analyze;
- know and apply the analytical steps required for the resolution of the legal issues;
- discuss the cases and materials using complete sentences and legal language in the course of your discussion;
- respond to my questions using complete sentences and legal language;
- read and analyze plurality opinions;
- understand the role that federalism and state sovereignty concerns play in the legal issues we study;
- describe the role that each area of law covered in this case plays in the process of civil litigation;
- describe the relationship in litigation between the various legal issues covered in the course.

2. WITH RESPECT TO EACH CASE, I WILL EXPECT YOU TO KNOW AND BE ABLE TO COMPETENTLY, CONFIDENTLY, AND FORMALLY DESCRIBE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES:
- the circumstances that led to the lawsuit;
- the litigants in the lawsuit;
- the nature of the overall dispute between the parties;
- the civil procedure issue presented by the litigation;
- the difference that the resolution of the civil procedure issue will make to the parties;
how is that civil procedure issue was resolved;
the rule that the majority applies to resolve the issue;
- the court’s application of the rule to the facts of the case;
- whether the rule applied, modified, explained, or changed prior law;
- the reason why concurring or dissenting justices disagreed with the majority and whether they propose a different rule;
- whether you agree with the decision—the outcome? The rule applied? The reasoning?

3. WITH RESPECT TO EACH STATUTE, I WILL EXPECT YOU TO KNOW
- the language of the statute;
- the purpose of the statute;
- the effect of cases that interpret the statute on the meaning of the statute;
- the legal issues and analytical steps that are required to determine the outcome of a fact situation to which the statute is relevant.

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