Beginners Guide to the Chaos of Redistricting Cases in the US Supreme Court (DRAKE HALL)

This course will consider the wild, woolly, and unpredictable world of Congressional redistricting and gerrymandering by state legislatures. Through the lens of the Constitution’s election clause, the 14th Amendment, and the 1965 Voting Rights Acts, we will look at issues such as racial and partisan gerrymandering and the diluting and inflating impact of such gerrymandering on individual voters. The course will start with background cases in the US Supreme Court from 1946 to 2019. Then, it will take an in-depth look at two cases from Alabama and North Carolina decided in June of this year, followed by a pending case from South Carolina argued in October of this year before the Court. The course will be taught through PowerPoint presentations leaving ample time for thoughtful participation and discussion.  

Richard Alper earned his law degree with a concentration in real estate and state and local government from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is co-founder and past chair of the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County and served as co-chair of the community and public affairs section of the Maryland State Dispute Resolution Commission. He has practiced law before state and federal courts in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. This includes limited practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the US Supreme Court.

Since 1993, Mr. Alper has designed and taught more than 1,800 hours of conflict resolution, arbitration, negotiation, commercial real estate, land use, environmental and constitutional law courses.  He has taught at the University of Maryland Law School, the University of Baltimore Graduate School in Legal, Ethical and Historical Studies, and the College of Southern Maryland's Center for Environmental Training. He has guest lectured at Colorado State University, OLLI @ CSU, Warner College of Natural Resources and its School of Agriculture and Resource Economics, the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, the Catholic University of America Law School, and the George Washington University Law School. 

Notes

• A current OLLI membership is required to register for all courses and lectures. 
• If you do not have a Spring 2024 membership, one will be added to your cart at checkout. 
• OLLI membership fees and course tuition are critical to the Institute's sustainability and are non-refundable. 

Testimonials