Embracing Constitutional Law
A
ve Maria University is renowned for its classroom instruction and the impactful classes offered on campus. The Constitutional Law course numbers among the most memorable. Those who have taken “Con Law” feel that they have become part of a
living tradition both at Ave Maria University and within the
a v e m a r i a m a g a z i n e | f a l l 2019
United States.
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The course has existed since the very inception of the Politics Department. Dr. Seana Sugrue inherited it when she joined the faculty in the fall of 2004 at the time that the University had moved from Ypsilanti, MI, to its temporary location in the Vineyards in Naples. She has taught it every fall since she arrived. To create the course, Dr. Sugrue drew upon her work with Dr. Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, under whose auspices she had participated in teaching Civil Liberties. She knew from her time at Princeton that what made the course so popular there was that students want the opportunity to test their arguments and beliefs in a serious and respectful manner through intensive interaction with the instructor. She also knew that the issues considered in Con Law are of perennial interest as they involve debates about the meaning of liberty and equality as well as who gets to decide the law.
What students are apt to remember most about Con Law is their moot court experience. They are assigned to teams in which each plays the role of a lawyer and they make legal arguments based on a set of hypothetical facts. Dr. Sugrue plays a tough judge intent on interrupting and throwing students off of their scripts. Students must think on their feet in responding to questions that they may not have anticipated. Some students find the experience exhilarating. Others are just glad it is over. For all, it leaves an impression as they discover their own powers of persuasion and perseverance under pressure. Students also can’t quite get over the transformation they witness on the day of moot court of mild-mannered Dr. Sugrue into mildly mean “Judge Sugrue.” But as Dr. Sugrue explains, if they can hold their own with her, they can feel confident when their future boss demands answers to
