7316. Judicial Decision Making

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to various facets of judicial decision-making and the judicial process. Using Connecticut's court system as a model (with appropriate references to the federal court system) we will discuss, among other things, fact-finding, judicial ethics, judicial administration, the judge-law clerk relationship, how judges prepare to decide a case, collective decision-making, and the opinion writing process. There will be assigned reading for each class, with an emphasis during the first half of class on group discussion regarding these materials. In addition to the weekly readings and class participation, each student will be required to draft a majority opinion as a final project.