225 sec. 001 - Legislation and Statutory Interpretation (Fall 2025)
Instructor: Sean Farhang (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
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Units: 4
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meetings:
MTu 10:00 AM - 11:10 AM
Location: Law 110
From August 18, 2025
To December 01, 2025
W 10:00 AM - 11:10 AM
Location: Law 105
From August 18, 2025
To December 01, 2025
Course End: December 01, 2025
Class Number: 33119
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 0
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 85
As of: 04/05 07:13 AM
This course will introduce students to the legislative process and statutory interpretation. Statutes govern nearly every aspect of our society and our economy, and this course will give students the tools to understand how statutes come to be and how they are interpreted and applied in practice.
The first portion of the course will focus on the legislative process, including Congress’s internal procedures and organization, limits on Congress’s authority, and the role of parties, committees, and interest groups in the lawmaking process. Finally, this part of the course will evaluate state statutory lawmaking thorugh direct democracy (the ballot initiative process). The second portion of the course will turn to statutory interpretation, including theories of statutory interpretation, the use of legislative history, and major canons of construction. The third portion of the class will examine how administrative agencies interpret statutes and how courts approach agency statutory interpretations.
In exploring these topics, the course will reference cases and materials from many substantive areas of law, including criminal law, civil rights law, environmental law, labor and employment law, and public health and safety law. The course will thus provide students with a small taste of many different areas of law. There are not, however, any prerequisites for the course.
Exam Notes: (F) In-class Final Exam
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Exam Length: 4 hours
Course Category: Public Law and Policy
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