Who should have the power to commit the United States to war?  How should power be divided between national and state governments?  Have the bureaucracy and judiciary come to have too great an influence over policy making in the United States?  What protections, if any, should the Constitution provide to political parties?  We will examine such fundamental questions as these primarily through the lens of Supreme Court opinions, and one important goal of the course is for you to develop your understanding of the part the Court has played – along with other political actors – in answering these questions.  Just as importantly, you will develop your own answers to them.