231 sec. 001 - Criminal Procedure - Investigations (Fall 2026)
Instructor: Jonathan Steven Simon (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
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Units: 4
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
MTuTh 11:20 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Law 132
From August 17, 2026
To November 24, 2026
Course End: November 24, 2026
Class Number: 32508
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 65
Waitlisted: 33
Enroll Limit: 81
As of: 06/02 07:37 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
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