Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
231 sec. 001 - Criminal Procedure - Investigations (Spring 2026)
Instructor: Jonathan Steven Simon (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 4
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
MTuW 10:00 AM - 11:10 AM
Location: Law 100
From January 12, 2026
To April 28, 2026
Course End: April 28, 2026
Class Number: 33051
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 85
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 85
As of: 11/21 05:09 AM
This course provides a close examination of the constitutional rules governing the government’s conduct of the investigatory stage of the criminal process including: searches of persons, places, and containers; the seizure of evidence and or people; and the collection of statements from suspects or eye-witnesses. Based in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution, constitutional criminal procedure is the most significant (if inadequate) source of regulation over federal, state, and local law enforcement. We will assess the vitality of this now half-century-long effort led by the Supreme Court to protect constitutional rights of privacy, dignity, equality and liberty without undermining public safety in an era of high crime rates. Current topics like police use of deadly force and the racially discriminatory practice of stop-and-frisk policing that sometimes precede fatal encounters will be discussed.
The instructor will use lectures and Socratic dialogue with students to bring out the leading arguments on both sides of the major doctrines. The class will regularly break into small groups to discuss the application of these principles to practice problems and to debate the policy implications of different rule options.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
Units from this class count towards the J.D. Race and Law Requirement. |
Exam Notes: (F) In-class Final Exam
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Exam Length: 3 hours
Course Category: Criminal Law
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Race and Law
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