Potter's Deathly Hallows and Pierce v. Society of Sisters

[Corcos, Christine]

There is already a law review symposium devoted to Harry Potter at 12 Texas Wesleyan Law Review 1 (2005). In addition, a number of other law reviews have published Potter law review articles. I think the first may have been
 
Paul Joseph and Lynn Wolf, The Law in Harry Potter: A System Not Even a Muggle Could Love, 34 University of Toledo Law Review 193 (2003). Then, for example, there's
Benjamin Barton, Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucrazy, 104 Mich. L.R. 1523 (2006)
 
I list some at the Law and Humanities Blog under the index term "Harry Potter". There are also a number of scholars who have written PhD dissertations and master's theses on Harry Potter, and some have discussed legal themes. Some on this list might also be interested in the August 23 Legal Times article by Andrew Fois, "Due Process for All Wizards," and the recent Globe and Mail article by Patrick White discussing the use that churches are making of the novels. The article is called "Churches co-opt Potter's Magic." Here's a link (although it may not work: registration is required to get access to the Globe and Mail website, but it's free). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20070719.wlpotter19%2FBNStory%2FlifeMain%2F%3Fcid%3Dal_gam_nletter_newsUp&ord=2755217&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true

Christine Corcos
LSU Law Center
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From: conlawprof-bounces at lists.ucla.edu on behalf of Rick Duncan
Sent: Sat 8/25/2007 1:44 PM
To: CONLAWPROF at lists.ucla.edu
Subject: Potter's Deathly Hallows and Pierce v. Society of Sisters


Those of you who teach Pierce v. Society of Sisters might be interested in this passage from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 
In this seventh and last volume of Harry Potter, one of the first things the evil Lord Voldemort did after seizing power over the Ministry of Magic was to ban home schooling and parental choice and require attendance at Hogwarts, the government school for witchcraft and wizardry. Here is the relevant passage (p. 210):

"'What's Voldemort planning for Hogwarts?' she [Hermione] asked Lupin. 'Attendance is now compulsory for every young witch and wizard,' he replied. "That was announced yesterday. It's a change, because it was never obligatory before. Of course, nearly every witch and wizard in Britain has been educated at Hogwarts, but their parents had the right to teach them at home or send them abroad if they preferred. This way, Voldemort will have the whole Wizarding population under his eye from a young age.'"
 
Just a heads up to those of you who like to bring pop culture into the classroom discussion. There is actually a lot about law and liberty in the Harry Potter novels. Harry Potter (i.e. J.K. Rowling) would make a great law review Symposium topic.
 
Cheers, Rick Duncan


 


Rick Duncan 
Welpton Professor of Law 
University of Nebraska College of Law 
Lincoln, NE 68583-0902
 

"It's a funny thing about us human beings: not many of us doubt God's existence and then start sinning. Most of us sin and then start doubting His existence."  --J. Budziszewski (The Revenge of Conscience)
 
"Once again the ancient maxim is vindicated, that the perversion of the best is the worst." -- Id.

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