Local Government Law

This seminar will consider the role of local government with a focus on New York City, the United States' largest municipality. We will examine the allocation of power both between city government and state government and within the city government. We will then study the application of these decision-making structures to specific policy areas: taxation, land use and housing, education and policing. We will also cover the application of principles of administrative law - that is, law constraining agency rulemaking and adjudication processes - in the special context of local government. Finally, we will consider some of the law governing municipal elections and campaigns, which establish the political framework within which governmental actors operate. Students will be required to complete five short papers related to the weekly reading; there will be no final exam. Successful completion of the seminar will satisfy the Additional Upper-Level Writing Requirement. Students seeking credit for the Substantial Upper Level Writing Requirement may complete an additional research paper with permission from the instructor