General Course Descriptions for Terms: civil procedure II
802 - Civil Procedure II
In this course, which satisfies the Jurisdiction of Courts requirement for the purposes of Wisconsin's diploma privilege, we will study a set of procedural concepts that are fundamental to legal practice in the U.S. These concepts include jurisdiction over parties, subject matter jurisdiction, and federal-state conflicts of law. In addition to learning key doctrines, we will engage in a theoretical inquiry into explanations of and justifications for those doctrines. By the end of the course, you should be able to do the following: • Identify which courts have jurisdiction over a given case and explain why. • Identify and evaluate venue options. • Resolve questions concerning which body of law applies to a given case. • Distinguish substantive from procedural law and explain why the distinction matters. • Identify plurality decisions and appreciate the problems that they pose for the doctrine of precedent. • Understand the difference between “published” and “unpublished” decisions. • Clearly and accurately apply the doctrines we cover to fact patterns, identify legal grey areas, and make compelling arguments about how cases in these grey areas should be resolved.