7987. Legislation and Regulation

This course provides students with a foundational and systematic introduction to the world of legislation, regulation, and administration that creates and defines so much of our legal order. As such, it is a natural statutory-regulatory counterpart to the common-law courses that dominate much of the first-year curriculum. The aim is two-fold: first, it seeks to introduce students to processes and structures of government; and second, it tries to stimulate thinking about how these processes and structures influence and affect legal outcomes, not just in courtrooms, but in legislatures, regulatory agencies, and among regulated interests and regulatory beneficiaries. The course naturally leads into, and enables students to get more out of, advanced courses in administrative law, legislation, interpretation, as well as a wide range of regulatory subjects (e.g., environmental law, health law, land use, or securities law). Topics covered will include some mix of the following: the separation of powers; the legislative process; statutory interpretation; delegation and administrative agency practice; and regulatory tools and strategies. The course is designed for first-year law students but will also be open to upper-level students who have not taken Administrative Law, Statutory Interpretation, or Legislative Process.