Learn to Analyze the Constitution and Its Modern-Day Implications
The U.S. Constitution was written over 200 years ago, yet it continues to have a considerable impact on life in America today. Constitutional law addresses foundational questions at the core of our democracy and has tremendous practical significance for the most important and intimate aspects of people’s lives. What are the powers and limitations of the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches of the federal government? What individual rights are guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments? When is someone accused of a crime entitled to a jury trial—or even a lawyer?
Miami Law requires you to take Constitutional Law during your 1L year and offers other fundamental courses such as Federal Courts and Legislation. Then, delve into our specialized courses such as Impeachment Politics in Constitutional Perspective and explore new constitutional territory such as cyber abuse and harassment in our Cyber Civil Rights Practicum. No matter what your interest in constitutional law is, our interdisciplinary curriculum will shape your legal career for years to come.
Our moot court team participates on average in 15 competitions a year, many with a focus on constitutional law: the Seigenthaler-Sutherland Cup National First Amendment Moot Court Competition, the National Appellate Advocacy Competition, the Evan A. Evans Constitutional Law Moot, the Burton D. Wechsler First Amendment Moot Competition and more.
There are many federal court houses near campus; The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida operates out of courthouses in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.
Professor Mary Anne Franks is the author of the book, The Cult of the Constitution: Our Deadly Devotion to Guns and Free Speech.
Various U.S. Supreme Court Justices have come to campus to speak with students including: Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice John Paul Stevens, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.
“My participation in the Human Rights Clinic has helped position me to work as a lawyer in a range of spaces… The Clinic also helped me develop critical thinking, legal writing, and organizational skills that I have used during my judicial clerkships and continue to use in my current practice, where I focus on appellate and constitutional law.”
"We rely on constitutional law, international human rights, federal and state law to support our arguments that the Supreme Court should adopt a rule that guarantees that children have a meaningful opportunity to be heard in our state dependency courts."
Professor Bernard Perlmutter Director, Children & Youth Law Clinic
“Determine what moves you and take that next step outside your zone of comfort. Try something new. If someone says something homophobic, speak up. Help change the world…You’ll be so happy that you did.”
Patricia Ireland, J.D. ‘75 Former President, National Organization for Women Of Counsel, Labor Law, Philips, Richard & Rind P.A. Miami, FL
Leipzig-Miami Exchange Program – in this scholarly exchange of ideas between students and faculty from Miami Law and the University of Leipzig in Leipzig, Germany students learn about both countries' public and private international law systems.
"Leipzig student Ingmar Heide and 3L Romney Maron Manassa “The Leipzig Exchange Program offers a unique opportunity for students to break out of the parochial confines of U.S. law and practice and learn how a fellow federal constitutional republic tackles some of the biggest legal issues in the 21st century.” (Pictured right) Romney Maron Manassa, J.D./LL.M. in International Arbitration '20
“After studying Constitutional law with Professor Corbin, I learned about equal protection under Title VI; I wanted to see how discrimination is actually found based on real life facts.”
American Bar Association Commission on Immigration (Washington, DC)
Americans for Immigrant Justice
Baltimore City Public Defender's Office (Baltimore, MD)
Capital Appeals Project (New Orleans, LA)
Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (Washington, DC)
Center for Constitutional Rights (New York, NY)
Center for Reproductive Rights (New York, NY)
Children's Law Center (Washington, DC)
Dallas County District Attorney's Office (Dallas, TX)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
FairVote (Washington, DC)
Florida Justice Institute
Lambda Legal (New York, NY)
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Washington, DC)
MacArthur Justice Center (New Orleans, LA)
Miami-Dade Legal Aid
Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office
Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office
Multicultural Media, Telecom & Internet Council (Washington, DC)
National Women’s Law Center (Washington, DC)
San Diego Public Defender's Office (San Diego, CA)
Texas Civil Rights Project (Austin, TX)
The Arc National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability (Washington, DC)
The Legal Aid Society (Bronx, NY)
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (Atlanta, Georgia)
U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Environmental Justice (Washington, DC)
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Washington, DC)
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (Chicago, IL)
**List is not exhaustive and is intended to provide examples of past externships and internships.
"The relentless attacks on women's health are becoming more extreme every legislative session and I'm excited to have the opportunity to combine my public health background with my legal skills to work on an issue I am so passionate about."
Charlotte Cassel, J.D. ‘14 Director of Strategic Partnerships at Health Information Project (HIP), Inc. Miami, FL
Faculty
Ricardo J. Bascuas is an expert in evidence, criminal procedure, international criminal law.
Caroline Bettinger-López's scholarship, practice, and teaching concern international human rights law and policy advocacy, violence against women, gender and race discrimination, immigrants’ rights, and clinical legal education.
Donna K. Coker teaches in the areas of criminal law, gender and inequality; teaches Evidence which has elements of Constitutional Law weaved into it via the Confrontation Clause.
Charlton Copeland served as a law clerk to Justices Richard J. Goldstone and Catherine O'Regan of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. His research interests include comparative constitutional law.
Caroline Mala Corbin's scholarship focuses on the First Amendment’s speech and religion clauses, particularly their intersection with equality issues.
Marc Fajer is an expert in eminent domain; has taught property, elements, antitrust law, American legal history, constitutional law, housing discrimination, and identity politics and law.
Zanita Fenton teaches courses in Family Law, Torts, Race and the Law, Constitutional Law, and seminars on Critical Race Feminism and Women and the Law Stories.
Christina M. Frohock teaches courses on Guantánamo legal issues and legal communication and research.
Elizabeth M. Iglesias teaches International Criminal Law and International Economic Law.
"Constitutional Law is a course everyone teaches differently. We live in the greatest democracy in the world and part of the magic of living in a democracy is we translate social issues into issues of constitutional law particularly in the context of individual rights....I try to understand what are historically the ways we looked at law and that individuals did not have moral claims against the state...but what we're doing in our democracy today is we are asking questions...to what extent are our social identities matters that can be the source of exclusion or inclusion? These are the issues that define us as a country and these are issues I address in my class."
Donald M. Jones teaches in the areas of criminal procedure, constitutional law, employment discrimination.
Tamara Rice Lave teaches in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, ethics, punishment, sex offender legislation.
Keith Rosenn has taught courses in constitutional law, comparative law, Latin American law.
Stephen J. Schnably is an expert in civil rights litigation to protect the constitutional rights of homeless persons.
Irwin P. Stotzky is an expert on constitutional law and human rights.
Scott E. Sundby teaches in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, constitutional law.
Francisco Valdes is the co-founder of the LatCrit movement and has also taught Comparative Law.
"Working on capital cases was an extremely meaningful experience. I spent much of my time doing legal research on defendants' constitutional rights in order to assist them with their cases. I am confident that this experience will prepare me for my future career in public interest law." (On discussing her summer 2021 internship, via Miami Law's HOPE Fellows Program, with the Federal Public Defender, Northern District of Florida, Captial Habeas Unit) Hui Huang, Class of 2022
Conferences, Lectures, Centers
Cyber Civil Rights Initiative Practicum - founded in August 2012 as the End Revenge Porn campaign, which called for the criminalization of nonconsensual pornography, the distribution of sexually graphic images of individuals without their consent. CCRI has its home at Miami Law and the Initiative offers opportunities for law students and other university students eager to apply their professional skills to a cutting-edge issue with real-world implications.
Louis Henkin Lecture Series on Human Rights - Miami Law’s lecture series on human rights is named in honor of the late Louis Henkin, a prominent law professor at Columbia University who was one of the founders of the academic study of human rights and who helped educate a whole generation of human rights lawyers, scholars, and activists, including some Miami Law professors. Learn More.
“My participation in the Human Rights Clinic has helped position me to work as a lawyer in a range of spaces… The Clinic also helped me develop critical thinking, legal writing, and organizational skills that I have used during my judicial clerkships and continue to use in my current practice, where I focus on appellate and constitutional law.”
“Determine what moves you and take that next step outside your zone of comfort. Try something new. If someone says something homophobic, speak up. Help change the world…You’ll be so happy that you did.”
"Leipzig student Ingmar Heide and 3L Romney Maron Manassa “The Leipzig Exchange Program offers a unique opportunity for students to break out of the parochial confines of U.S. law and practice and learn how a fellow federal constitutional republic tackles some of the biggest legal issues in the 21st century.”
“After studying Constitutional law with Professor Corbin, I learned about equal protection under Title VI; I wanted to see how discrimination is actually found based on real life facts.”
"The relentless attacks on women's health are becoming more extreme every legislative session and I'm excited to have the opportunity to combine my public health background with my legal skills to work on an issue I am so passionate about."
"Working on capital cases was an extremely meaningful experience. I spent much of my time doing legal research on defendants' constitutional rights in order to assist them with their cases. I am confident that this experience will prepare me for my future career in public interest law." (On discussing her summer 2021 internship, via Miami Law's HOPE Fellows Program, with the Federal Public Defender, Northern District of Florida, Captial Habeas Unit)