This reading group will explore decisions made by state governments and their attorneys general in the areas of climate change, abortion and guns. The course will first focus on the basic operations, jurisdiction, litigation capacity and professional responsibilities of state attorneys general and then on how they work with the rest of state government as they deal with these explosive issues. The course willl will spend two weeks on climate change and one each on guns and abortion. Because attorneys general are making these decisions on a daily basis the contours of the syllabus will be subject to "real time" changes.
The class will be highly interactive, with Professor Tierney and several invited guests from both within and without and attorney general community. Together we will explore in depth the actual decision making process of state attorneys general.
Our schedule be spread across the entire semester. This reading group will meet on the following dates: 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 3/3, 3/10 and 3/24. A key part of this course will be you sharing with the rest of the group the things about which you are most passionate. Throughout the semester, you are encouraged to suggest readings and discussion topics to Professor Tierney (jtierney@law.harvard.edu).
State attorneys general have a long history and broad authority. In order to grasp the scope of their options when dealing with abortion, guns and climate change it is necessary to have a core grounding of their jurisdiction and organization.