Courts

LAW7021
Section 1, Fall 25

Schedule Information

Enrollment: /16
Credits: 3
Days Time Room Start Date End Date

Tue

 		1300-1500 WB114 08/26/2025 12/02/2025

Course Description

This course takes an interdisciplinary, comparative, and empirical perspective on the design and operation of courts as institutions. Topics of interest include the manner in which social scientists study courts; the nature and basis of judicial power; the practical effects of judicial review; the different ways in which a system of judicial review can be designed; the role of courts in nondemocratic environments; the challenges of conceptualizing and achieving judicial independence; and the dynamics by which courts expand into the domain of politics.

Course Requirements

Exam Information

Final Type (if any): Flex with Paper Option

Description: Flex exam with paper option at end of semester. Students opting to write the paper must submit the paper via EXPO by noon on December 17, 2025 (the day before the last day of the finals period). Students who choose the paper option and intend to use it toward their upper-level writing requirement must initiate the "special request" e-form (available via LawWeb) by September 29, 2025.

Other Course Details

Prerequisites: None Concurrencies: None

Exclusive With: None

Laptops Allowed: No

First Day Attendance Required: No

Course Resources: To be announced via Canvas.

Graduation Requirements

Satisfies Understanding Bias/Racism/Cross-Cultural Competency requirement: No

Satisfies Writing Requirement: No

Credits For Prof. Skills Requirement: No

Satisfies Professional Ethics: No

Additional Course Information

Schedule No.: 125820733

Modified Type: UVA Law Seminar

Cross Listed: No

Waitlist Count: 0

Concentrations: Constitutional Law

Evaluation Portal Via LawWeb Opens: Sunday, November 23, 12:01 AM

Evaluation Portal Via LawWeb Closes: Friday, December 05, 11:59 PM

Information reflected on this page was last refreshed at: Tuesday, July 08, 2025 - 7:02 AM *

*During open enrollment periods, live enrollment data may be found in SIS.