Learning Objectives

  1. Know the rule of legality.
     
  2. Appreciate the distinction between bills of attainder and ex post facto laws.
     
  3. Understand the importance of statutory clarity and know the legal test for identifying laws that are void for vagueness.
     
  4. Know the three levels of scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause.
     
  5. Appreciate the importance of freedom of expression and the categories of expression that are not protected by the First Amendment.
     
  6. Understand the constitutional basis for the right to privacy and the type of acts that are protected within the “zone of privacy.”
     
  7. Know how the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms has evolved in the past few years.
     
  8. Appreciate the meaning of the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.