Course ID
039918
Course Description
Unlike private and other government lawyers who work subject to ethical rules that defer decision making to clients, the 13,000 men and women who work in offices of state attorneys general have significant discretion in their advice and litigation decisions. For state government lawyers, representing the \"public interest\" is the day-to-day reality of their professional lives.
This course is weighted toward those aspects of the Office of Attorney General that reflect its independent status and illustrate the robust nature of state \"separation of powers\" doctrine. This is most often revealed publicly when legislatures, other elective officials, including the Governor, or state agencies exceed their constitutional or statutory authority and are then limited by their own state attorneys general by litigation decisions or by an Attorney General Opinion. It also contains information on the emerging issue of the decision of an attorney general to \"fail to defend/fail to enforce\" for any number of reasons.
This course is weighted toward those aspects of the Office of Attorney General that reflect its independent status and illustrate the robust nature of state \"separation of powers\" doctrine. This is most often revealed publicly when legislatures, other elective officials, including the Governor, or state agencies exceed their constitutional or statutory authority and are then limited by their own state attorneys general by litigation decisions or by an Attorney General Opinion. It also contains information on the emerging issue of the decision of an attorney general to \"fail to defend/fail to enforce\" for any number of reasons.
Min Units
2
Max Units
2
Repeatable for Credit
No
Grading Basis
ALT - Alternative Grading +/- A,B,C,D,E,S,P,F
Career
Law
Course Requisites
May be convened with
Component
Lecture
Optional Component
No