Join us for an engaging day of federal law exploration at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Sacramento. Carlton Larson, professor of Law at UC Davis, will offer a morning lecture on Second Amendment and gun control litigation and a discussion on enemy combatant detentions after lunch. Our engaging day will include a catered meal and a tour of the building. See further details following the lecture descriptions.
Second Amendment and Gun Control Litigation: In the last decade, the Supreme Court has decided two significant cases with respect to gun control. The 2008 decision of Heller v. District of Columbia held that the Amendment protects the right to possess a handgun in the home for personal self-defense, and the 2010 decision of McDonald v. City of Chicago, held that the Amendment applied to the states. This course will explain the decisions in Heller and McDonald, analyze the arguments for and against a constitutional right to bear arms and address current issues in gun control litigation, including the scope of the rights recognized in Heller and McDonald.
Enemy Combatant Detentions: This lecture will explore the contested issue of enemy combatant detentions during the War on Terror. We will cover the historical practice with respect to such detentions, as well as the litigation over detentions in the Bush and Obama Administrations. We will consider both detentions of United States citizens and the detention of non-citizens in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere around the world.
Note: Driving and parking directions will be provided for participants by email prior to the class. Contact OLLI office to carpool. All participants must pass through security scanners to enter the courthouse learning center. Please see the class description on the OLLI website for a schedule of the day’s events.