First Semester Law School Stifles Critical Thinking

I thought law school would be creatively challenging. Instead, I have never experienced anything as stifling of critical thinking as the first semester of law school. Is my experience unique, or do other people feel this way? I had professors who really believed that the law had a correct answer for every question. There was no room for indeterminacy in their minds, and questioning or interrogating legal rules was discouraged. Were they really that naive, or do time constraints train legal teachers to treat doctrine as though it is solid and indisputable.

This semester is coming along much better. Pierre Schlag and Ahmed White are much more interested in delving into the aporiatic sea that is the law and taking a look about. As such, my classes are much more enjoyable, but I feel like my mind has been handicapped by last semester's teachers and I'm having a little trouble keeping up with Schlag and White.

Constitutional Law SEX

Part of the reason I originally applied at CU Law was because I am enamored with Pierre Schlag whose writings I find to be quite titillating. I've written about some of his ideas on this blog before. And today I got to meet Schlag.

Today I had my first class with Pierre Schlag. He was on sabbatical in Europe for my first semester, and so very few of my senior classmates knew much about him, which as a fan seemed to further enhance his mystique. Despite my heightened expectations, he did not disappoint. He dresses a little rockstaresque in a blazer and jeans with a tuft of chest hair sticking out of his low-buttoned shirt. He has a mullet. And he speaks with subtle accent which adds to his gravitas without distracting from what he says.

He was quite theatrical and moved about the classroom like he had a nervous tick. Half-way into the lecture he excitedly gushed "Constitutional law is about SEX," rousing several people from slumber he then continued less loudly, "and race, allocation of power between states and the Federal government, and of power between the branches."

Schlag tries to make constitutional law as sexy as possible, but I'm afraid no one will ever get hot thinking about this subject.