Government Practice

Courses

EXT-1055: Externship: Government Agency

Credits 1 4

The course is designed to provide students the opportunity to observe, participate in, analyze, gain insight into the functions of and reflect upon the work of a government agency lawyer. In their field placements, students will observe and participate in activities specific to the field placement, which can include transactions, appeals, rulemaking, legislation, policy and employment and labor issues. In addition to doing fieldwork, students attend a seminar on a regular basis during the semester. Students will bring their experience into the classroom for detailed analysis of the lawyers' work, function of the different agencies, the government decision making process, and the role of the government lawyer. Students interested in the class will be directed to apply for the federal, state agency and local government agency externships that have been established by the Externship Director. Students may also find their own placements and may register for the course after receiving permission from the instructor. To apply, students need to contact the faculty. Selected government agency placements are posted on 12Twenty or students may line up their own placements. To register, students must contact Prof. Kate Kahlert at kate.kahlert@mitchellhamline.edu. This is a HyFlex course that will meet at the listed times. We are planning a portion of the students to participate in-person and a portion to participate remotely and synchronously.

LAW-3305: Income Tax

Credits 3

Examines the fundamentals of federal income taxation, including gross income, deductions and credits, assignment of income principles, methods of accounting, gains from dealings in property, non-recognition, capital gains and losses, and tax procedure.

LAW-3415: Legislative Process

Credits 2

Lawmaking is increasingly the result of statutes rather than the common law, so it is critical for lawyers to understand the legislative process and how statutes are interpreted and drafted. This course will examine legislation and legislatures at the national, state, and local levels by focusing on two primary aspects of legislation. The first half of the course will focus on rules affecting legislative service and methods and rules used to pass legislation. This will give students a better understanding of structural aspects of legislatures that impact how legislation gets adopted. Topics discussed in this half of the course will include: case law affecting redistricting; rules and case law related to expulsion and exclusion of legislators; term limits; lobbying restrictions; item vetoes; single subject rules; and direct democracy. The second half of the course will focus on the interpretation and implementation of statutes and ordinances. We will examine the canons of construction and extrinsic sources for statutory interpretation, such as committee reports and sponsor statements. Students will also learn concepts related to drafting statutes. This is a HyFlex course that will meet at the listed times. We are planning for a portion of the students to participate in-person and a portion to participate remotely and synchronously.

SEM-6030: Election Law

Credits 2

Students planning to satisfy the long paper requirement in this course, must register for SEM 6031.

This course will examine constitutional and statutory regulation of the electoral process. We will explore topics including the right to vote and the right to an equally-weighted vote; representation, districting, and partisan gerrymandering; minority vote dilution, the Voting Rights Act, and racial gerrymandering; election administration, vote-counting, voting technology, and voter identification; and campaign finance laws and reform. The final grade will be based on class participation, an exam, and preparation of a paper on a topic selected by the student and approved by the professor. With the professor's prior approval, students may prepare a "long paper" to satisfy the Advanced Research and Writing requirement. You will get three credits if you write a long paper (which you may do even if you’ve already satisfied the long paper requirement) and two credits if you write a shorter paper. This is a HyFlex course that will meet at the listed times. We are planning for a portion of the students to participate in-person and a portion to participate remotely and synchronously.

SEM-6075: Media Law

Credits 2

Students planning to satisfy the long paper requirement in this course, must register for SEM 6076.

This class is about the First Amendment and the Free Press. We will discuss a selection of the legal issues generated by the activities of the mass media. We will consider regulations of print, broadcast, and electronic media, including laws that govern obscenity and pornography, laws aimed at balancing free press and fair trial rights, and laws meant to preserve multiple voices in a market. We will explore publication-related issues such as libel and invasion of privacy, and newsgathering-related issues such as the extent of the reporter's privilege and restrictions on access to information. We will examine common law, regulatory law including Federal Communications Commission regulations, and statutory law including the Freedom of Information Act, but the primary focus of the course will be on how the First Amendment limits governmental control over the media.

The final grade will be based on class participation, an exam, and preparation of a paper on a topic selected by the student and approved by the professor.

This is a seminar course with limited enrollment.

SEM-6080: National Security Law

Credits 2

Students planning to satisfy the long paper requirement in this course, must register for SEM 6081.

This course analyses the Supreme Court cases, the federal statutes, and the regulations and policies necessary for addressing terrorism, and other major threats to American safety and well-being.