431 - 440 of 523 results for: LAW

In this practicum, students will contribute to analyses of the current state of human rights in the Americas and, in particular, to analyses of areas of focus for the Inter-American Commission (the "Commission"). Students will become familiar with international and regional standards in human rights and with the procedures, history and practice of the Commission and will contribute, through their policy analysis, to the work of the Commission. Working independently and/or in teams, students will prepare studies on situations of rights abuse, as well as on best practices across the region. The scope of students' work product will expand as they acquire more expertise with international standards and transnational comparative tools in policy analysis. Fluency in Spanish or Portuguese helpful, but not required. One or more students may travel in conjunction with this practicum to sessions of the Inter-American Commission in October/November 2014. This course will be offered in the Fall of 2014. While priority will be given to students who enrolled in the course in the Spring of 2014, all students are encouraged to apply. Special Instructions: Students must enroll with a minimum of 3 units, but are encouraged to enroll in 4 units. This class meets the PW requirement. NOTE: Students may not count more than a combined total of eight units of directed research projects and policy lab practica toward graduation unless the additional counted units are approved in advance by the Petitions Committee. Such approval will be granted only for good cause shown. Even in the case of a successful petition for additional units, a student cannot receive a letter grade for more than eight units of independent research (Policy Lab practicum, Directed Research, Senior Thesis, and/or Research Track). Any units taken in excess of eight will be graded on a mandatory pass basis. For detailed information, see "Directed Research/Policy Labs" in the SLS Student Handbook. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and e-mail the Consent Application Form available on the SLS Registrar's Office website (see Registration and Selection of Classes for Stanford Law Students) to the instructors. See Consent Application Form for submission deadline. Students who have taken the practicum in the Spring of 2014 have consent to take this course in the Fall of 2014 and need not file a Consent Application. Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Attendance, Written Assignments.

Earlier this year, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down the Federal Communications Commission's Open Internet rules. This policy practicum will help policy makers assess the available options in the wake of the court's decision. In December 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the Open Internet Order, which enacted binding network neutrality rules for the first time. Network neutrality rules limit the ability of Internet service providers to interfere with the applications, content and services on their networks; they allow users to decide how they want to use the Internet without interference from Internet service providers. In January of this year, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down the core provisions of the Open Internet Order - the rules against blocking and discrimination. The decision combined two wins for the FCC with one decisive loss. According to the Court, the FCC has authority to regulate providers of broadband Internet access service under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and the FCC's justification for the Open Internet Order is "reasonable and supported by substantial evidence." The no-blocking and non-discrimination rules, the Court found, however, violate the Communications Act's ban on imposing common carrier obligations on entities like Internet service providers that the FCC has not classified as telecommunications service providers under Title II of the Communications Act. As a result of this ruling, Internet service providers like Verizon, AT&T or Cox Cable that connect users to the Internet are now free to block any content, service or application they want. They can slow down selected applications, speed up others, or ask application or content providers like Netflix or Spotify to pay fees to reach their users. These practices would fundamentally change how we experience the Internet. In the wake of the Court's decision, policy makers, stakeholders and observers are debating how to best ensure that the Internet remains open and free. Policy makers essentially have three options: First, the FCC can preserve the Open Internet Rules by reclassifying Internet service as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act. Second, it can develop a different, narrower network neutrality regime under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act within the boundaries established by the Court of Appeal's decision. Finally, Congress or the FCC can adopt a new network neutrality regime, but only, in the case of the FCC, after reclassifying Internet service as a telecommunications service. In mid-February, the Federal Communications Commission opened a docket within which to consider how the Commission should proceed. Special Instructions: Upon consent of the instructor, students may choose enrollment Option 1 or Option 2: Option 1 (3 units) - Students who elect Option 1 will research and write parts of white papers and comments to the Federal Communications Commission that will help policy makers assess the available options. In special cases, students electing Option 1 may take the policy practicum for 2 units. Students interested in this option should indicate this on their application. Option 2 (1 to 2 units) - In order to elect Option 2, students must concurrently enroll (with consent of instructor) in the seminar component, "Current Issues in Network Neutrality" (2 units), which meets Thursdays from 4:15pm-6:15pm. Students in the policy practicum with the seminar component will research and write parts of white papers and comments to the Federal Communications Commission that will help policy makers assess the available options Students will be required to attend the seminar and participate in the discussion, but will not do any of the written assignments for the seminar. Depending on the type of work in Option 1 or Option 2, students taking the policy practicum for two-units or more may receive professional writing (PW) or research (R) credit. Students must obtain the instructor's approval of their election to take the course for writing (PW or W) or research (R) credit. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from the W/PW writing section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. The class is open to law students and students from other parts of the university. It does not require any technical background. Consent Application: To apply for this course, students must complete and e-mail the Consent Application Form available on the SLS Registrar's Office website (see Registration and Selection of Classes for Stanford Law Students) to the instructors. See Consent Application Form for submission deadline.

This policy lab will assist in developing more flexible and effective wildlife habitat mitigation tools for use in California's Central Valley, a landscape that presents the challenge of taking advantage of the habitat potential provided by working agricultural lands. Habitat mitigation is an important tool under a variety of environmental and wildlife protection statutes, both state and federal. Current regulatory frameworks usually require that habitat mitigation employ permanent easements or long-term contracts fixed in particular locations, despite the fact that species have changing habitat needs. Many species are migratory and must move across the landscape to survive; a changing climate and shifting human activity only increase the dynamic nature of habitat needs. To ensure that species and their habitat are protected in the most effective manner possible, legal and policy frameworks must be structured to address this and other challenges. Additionally, there is a need for a robust market mechanism that recognizes the inherent natural capital and species habitat provided by working agricultural lands, and compensates landowners for the value of those resources. In the face of significant upcoming conservation and mitigation needs for California, new policies and regulatory frameworks are necessary, and must be rooted in rigorous science, be consistent with existing legal frameworks, and accomplish the dual goals of promoting species recovery and maintaining agricultural production. Students in the Law and Policy Lab will analyze cutting edge issues related to species habitat and protection. They will help provide recommendations to the Central Valley Habitat Exchange (CVHE) in the development of more flexible and marketable habitat mitigation tools that can be used under a variety of programs, including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, state wildlife laws, and the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The CVHE is a new initiative taking advantage of the emerging market of habitat credits by maximize the benefits of the habitat that willing agricultural landowners can provide. The CVHE will facilitate investment in conservation and restoration of vital and dynamic Central Valley floodplain and riparian habitat by promoting, monitoring and assisting in the exchange of habitat credits. Students will tackle issues of permanence and change from legal, policy, economic, and scientific perspectives, depending on their existing skill set and research needs. During the quarter, visitors from the CVHE Working Group - which includes members from national environmental non-profits, government agencies, and the private sector - will share their perspectives, and students will be invited to present their findings and make recommendations to help inform development of the CVHE. The course will meet at a mutually convenient time that will be chosen after the quarter begins. Meetings will include a mix of individual meetings and group meetings. Special Instructions: This practicum is offered in autumn quarter and winter quarter. Students enrolled in autumn quarter who intend to continue with the practicum will be given preference in winter quarter. NOTE: Students may not count more than a combined total of eight units of directed research projects and policy lab practica toward graduation unless the additional counted units are approved in advance by the Petitions Committee. Such approval will be granted only for good cause shown. Even in the case of a successful petition for additional units, a student cannot receive a letter grade for more than eight units of independent research (Policy Lab practicum, Directed Research, Senior Thesis, and/or Research Track). Any units taken in excess of eight will be graded on a mandatory pass basis. For detailed information, see "Directed Research/Policy Labs" in the SLS Student Handbook. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and e-mail the Consent Application Form available on the SLS Registrar's Office website (see Registration and Selection of Classes for Stanford Law Students) to the instructors. See Consent Application Form for contact information and submission deadline. Elements used in grading: As agreed to by instructor.

This course will provide students with a rare opportunity to engage in real-world crime policy analysis, both as a way to use some of the skills they have learned in previous SLS courses, as well as to help them learn about the political and practical issues involved in constructing public policies. Students will work with a "client" agency or organization in the crime policy sector to carry out a policy-related research and analysis project. We will organize ourselves as a provisional policy think-tank or, if you prefer, a makeshift policy institute or short-term consulting group. As such, this practice-oriented course has both learning and real-world policy reform goals, which makes this course unique within SLS and, I hope, refreshing and compelling. Students will learn how to: Identify and analyze empirical data for policy purposes; develop evidence-based policy proposals; interact with high-level policymakers around politically sensitive issues; and effectively prepare a policy brief and deliver a formal presentation to high-level government officials.

This course surveys the law of raising funds by granting security interests in personal property. Security interests affect the creditor's rights if the debtor is unable to repay the loan; as a result, they significantly affect the terms on which capital can be raised. They affect industries ranging from traditional manufacturing to high tech start-ups; they also play a role in consumer loans (and help explain the movie "Repo Man"). The course focuses primarily on Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, but also considers the federal Bankruptcy Code, the federal intellectual property statutes, and other state and federal laws. nBankruptcy is the first of three courses (the other two are Secured Credit and Payment Systems) dealing with the financing of commercial ventures through means other than the sale of corporate stock. These courses may be taken in any order: neither presupposes any knowledge of the others. Students who cannot take all three should probably prioritize them in the order they are listed-that is, Bankruptcy is the single most important course to take, then Secured Credit, then Payment Systems.nElements used in grading: Final exam

This course will study how society allocates and protects its most crucial natural resource -- water. The emphasis will be on current legal and policy debates, although we will also examine the history of water development and politics in the United States. Among the many issues that we will consider are: alternative means of responding to the growing worldwide demand for water; the appropriate role for the market and private companies in meeting society's water needs; protection of threatened groundwater resources; environmental limits on water development (including the Endangered Species Act and the "public trust" doctrine); Indian water rights; and interstate and international disputes over water. Students will be expected to participate actively in classroom discussions. Elements Used in Grading: Class participation, attendance and final exam.

This seminar is designed primarily for students working on Policy Lab projects, but will be open to other students as well subject to a total enrollment of 15 students. It will be offered both the Autumn and Winter quarters during 2013-14, with any individual student eligible to enroll only in one quarter. You already know how to think like a lawyer, but if you are interested in policymaking, policy advocacy or policy research¿whether in the public, nonprofit, or corporate sector¿ you need to know how to think like a policy analyst as well. This seminar, designed primarily for students beginning or continuing in Policy Lab practicums, has three purposes. First, it introduces students to the ways in which policy analysts approach public policy problems and controversies, focusing on perspectives that distinguish policy analysis from traditional legal analysis Second, it introduces students to the tools of policy analysis, including approaches to collecting and analyzing information Third, it provides hand-on lessons on communicating with policy makers orally and in writing. There is no text for the course. Readings for the course will include examples of policy analyses conducted to inform public policymaking. Students engaged in policy practicums will use their practicum experience as a basis for assessing the value of various policy analytic perspectives and research approaches. Students not engaged in policy practicums will pick a policy problem they are interested in and develop a plan for conducting a policy analysis relevant to this problem. Elements used in grading (Autumn): Attendance, class participation, three short reflection papers.Elements used in grading (Winter): Course paper and class participation. Consent Application: To apply for this course, students must complete and e-mail the Consent Application Form available on the SLS Registrar's Office website (see Registration and Selection of Classes for Stanford Law Students) to the instructors. See Consent Application Form for submission deadline.

This is an advanced constitutional law seminar for students who have already taken the introductory Constitutional Law course. The seminar will provide an opportunity for in-depth discussion of competing theories of constitutional interpretation, the role of the Supreme Court in our political system, and analysis of judicial behavior. Each week, these themes will be examined through the lens of a current "hot topic" in constitutional law - for example, the Affordable Care Act, affirmative action, the Second Amendment, the death penalty, executive power in the war on terrorism, campaign finance, immigration, same-sex marriage, and other topics. This is not a "spectator" class; all students will be expected to participate actively in class discussion each week. This is a good seminar for students interested in clerking or pursuing academia.

The Advanced Workshop on State-Building and the Rule of Law builds on the State-Building and Rule of Law Seminar offered in the fall quarter. Enrollment is by consent and limited to students who successfully completed the fall seminar and are members of one of the four Rule of Law Projects: the Afghanistan Legal Education Project (ALEP), the Rwanda Law and Development Project (RLDP), the Timor Leste Legal Education Project (TLLEP), or the Iraq Legal Education Initiative (ILEI). The ALEP team will write textbooks and develop curriculum for, and provide program support to, the Department of Law at American University of Afghanistan. The RLDP team will conduct research and analysis culminating in a background paper on statutory interpretation for the Rwandan Law Review Commission. The TLLEP team will write textbooks and teaching manuals for use at the National Law School of Timor-Leste and the judicial training center. The ILEI team will write textbooks and materials to begin the process of building out a law program at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. Automatic grading penalty waived for writers. Writing (W) credit is for 3Ls only.