Attorney General Refuses to Say Whether Waterboarding is Torture

In a response to questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Mukasey refused to give an official opinion on whether waterboarding is torture. The attorney general stated that the practice is not currently being used, and therefore it would be "irresponsible" for him to judge its legality (AP Story). The U.S. Army Field Manual has prohibited waterboarding for decades. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International consider waterboarding to be torture. Amnesty responded to Mukasey's earlier statements on the issue here.

POLI 438 Syllabus Now Posted

The syllabus for the Legal Internship course is now posted. You can access it, and on the online readings by clicking the syllabus link.

Study Questions for Judiciary Section

Here are some questions to think about when reading the cases on the judiciary in constitutional law:

1. What power do the courts have?
2. What is judicial review?
3. What is the constitutional basis of judicial review?
4. What are the limits or checks on the power of the judiciary?
5. Where do these limits come from - what is their legal basis?

Con Law Syllabus Now Posted

You can find the Spring 2008 syllabus from the link on the left side of the page (or here).