Public Corruption and the Law (Master/Cohen)
Faculty
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| Howard Master Adjunct Professor of Law howard.s.master@gmail.com |
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| Carrie Cohen Lecturer in Law ccohen@mofo.com |
Additional Information
Experiential CourseYes
Skills Training
Oral Presentations
Drafting Legal Documents
Expository Writing
Other Professional Skills:
Grading
50% Participation,
50% Paper
No
Class meets in person.
Course Continuity
Students are encouraged to stay home if you are ill or experience flu-like symptoms. If you miss a class for any reason, it is still your responsibility to make up the work missed.
I offer the following to students who miss class due to illness:
- If you are absent due to illness or some other unavoidable circumstance, email me and I can make PowerPoint slides or other class materials available to you.
Meeting Times/Location
M 6:40PM - 8:40PM
Tanenbaum Hall 320
Category
Seminar
Credits
3.0
Honest government is essential to our democracy and the rule of law. What conduct should public officials be prohibited from engaging in on the grounds that it is unethical or corrupt? What harms are caused by public corruption and what is the best way to prevent it? This seminar will focus on the history and current structural and legal framework governing public corruption, including statutes and case law interpreting honest services fraud, extortion under color of official right, and campaign finance rules and regulations. We also will explore the interplay among federal, state, and local governments in combating corruption, including challenges particular to deterring and punishing corrupt conduct by powerful political actors such as the President, governors, and federal and state legislators.
Through the use of case studies, the seminar will explore the role of money and power in politics, the significance of disclosure rules and regulations, and constitutional and practical challenges to regulating potentially corrupt behavior, including behavior in foreign jurisdictions via the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and behavior connected to political contributions. Finally, the seminar will address the punishments and sanctions applicable in the federal and state systems, and the merits of criminal versus civil regulation of unethical and corrupt conduct. Course sessions will include guest speakers who have been involved as practitioners in combating corruption and/or representing individuals investigated or prosecuted for engaging in corrupt actions.
Skills Learning outcomes: Demonstrate an understanding of the individual course skill; Demonstrate the ability to receive and implement feedback; Demonstrate an understanding of how and when the individual course skill is employed in practice.
Constitutional Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of constitutional law; Perform legal analysis in the context of constitutional law; Communicate effectively on topics related to constitutional law; Demonstrate an understanding of constitutional law affects other areas of law.
Criminal Law and Procedure Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of criminal law and procedure; Perform legal analysis in the context of criminal law and procedure; Communicate effectively on topics related to criminal law and procedure; Demonstrate an understanding of the role criminal law and procedure play in society and their impact on other areas of law and society.
Administrative and Regulatory Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of administrative and regulatory law and the administrative process, including the role of statutory authorization and work of administrative agencies; Perform legal analysis in the context of administrative and regulatory law; Communicate effectively on topics related to administrative and regulatory law; Demonstrate an understanding of the role administrative and regulatory law play in our legal system and in society as a whole.
Public Interest Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of the varied legal aspects of public interest law; Perform legal analysis in the context of public interest law; Communicate effectively on topics related to public interest law; Demonstrate an understanding of how public interest law is connected to and affected by a wide variety of legal and regulatory structures and doctrines.
Textbooks
"Public Corruption and the Law: Cases and Materials" by David Hoffman and Juliet Sorensen |