Teaching regulation of commerce

[David Cruz]

Following my general practice, I have only given my Con Law I class the
syllabus for the first unit of our course this semester (although I have
described the units in broad outline).  One of my reasons for this is that
I am still trying to figure out what I can omit or cover more quickly in
order to make room for other material that I would like to cover this time
around.  (The course is a mandatory, first-year, 4 unit class, and is
supposed to be as much of all the basics as possible -- so, things like
separation of powers, federalism, procedural and substantive due process
rights, state action, equal protection -- except for the first amendment.)

So, I'm writing in the hope that one or more of you might have suggestions
about ways quickly yet responsibly to cover Congress's commerce power.  I
am using Stone, Seidman, Sunstein, and Tushnet, but would certainly think
about editing cases differently myself if it would help.  I realize that
different people have different pedagogical aims for this material, but I
have a reasonable amount of flexibility and am thus open to various views
of what these cases are well suited for teaching students.

Thanks for any suggestions, which should probably be sent to me personally
(unless others on the listserv think there's sufficiently widespread
interest to warrant posting).

-David B. Cruz, USC Law (Cal.)