Judicial Politics & the Supreme Court at Cal Poly

Get an in-depth look into the legal profession and parts of the judicial system

Summer Springboard program located on the campus of Cal Poly SLO

Program Highlights

Learn about the various levels of the courts while exploring a 35-year old grievance that has transformed the U.S. Supreme Court and its controversial judicial nomination process.

Discover how the judicial system operates at all levels, federal, state appellate and district courts.

Analyze the impact of political pressures on the judicial branch from local courts to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Explore the law school admissions process and teaching methodologies.

Residential Tuition :
$4,998

Session 1:
June 23, 2024 July 5, 2024

Session 2:
July 7, 2024 July 19, 2024

Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly SLO - San Luis Obispo, CA

Testimonials

I learned a lot about law. Through this course, I have gained a lot of knowledge that has helped me understand the world better.

Alexander P.

Course Overview

In the program at Cal Poly SLO, students will focus on the current American judicial politics involving the U.S. Supreme Court. This course cover the internal politics of the legal profession, examine law school admissions and teaching methodologies; issues and challenges within the profession; explore how judges are selected; analyze the economic realities of dispute resolution; and, the influences of judicial decisions, with particular attention on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Meet your instructor

Allen Settle

Trial Law Cal Poly SLO

Allen Settle is the former 4-term former mayor of the City of San Luis Obispo and is currently serving his fifth term as a City Councilmember. He also serves on the SLO Airport Land Use Commission (he is an aircraft owner and pilot), the Local Agency Formation Commission (in charge of county- and city land use entity), and the League of Cities Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Learn more

Topics you'll explore

Career Exploration

Students will get a chance to visit a local courtroom, meet with local law enforcement, and tour the prestigious Law Library within the historic Robert E. Kennedy library.

Course Structure

There are nine 3-hour class sessions over the two-week course. During week one, students have class from 9am-12pm Monday - Friday. During week two, students have class from 9am-12pm Monday through Thursday. Wednesday afternoons of each week are dedicated to students' course-specific academic excursion, guest speaker, or activity.