Constitutional law exams cover many areas of governmental law.
Constitutional law is the study of government power and how the state and federal laws are applied. Much of constitutional law deals with the rights of the citizens and how they are legally protected. It's most common for constitutional law exam questions to be in the form of essay questions.
Executive Power
Columbia University Law School provides students with several old exams that deal with constitutional law. On one such essay exam, the following scenario was presented: a congressman adds a rider to a bill dealing with national debt called Section 45-112. It states that the secretary of Defense will be called the secretary of Peace and that the United States can no longer use military force in Iraq -- the family of any person injured in Iraq could sue for treble damages. The president signs the bill into law with the disclaimer that Section 45-112 is null and void. When a family tries to sue the secretary of Peace, the test question asks for a memo summarizing the constitutional challenges that will ensue.
Employment Discrimination
Here is another essay exam scenario: a pregnant women is not allowed to smoke during her work breaks in the designated smoking area because of a "fetal protection policy" and is therefore forced to extend her breaks to find another area to smoke. She is consequently threatened with termination because of her excessive time off during the day. The test-taker is asked to craft a memo that addresses whether the employee is discriminated against and whether the fetal protection policy is unconstitutional.
Americans with Disabilities Act
A 31-year-old hospital worker who is considered mentally disabled is nonetheless a successful orderly who receives excellent evaluations. When a staff error at the hospital results in a death, this worker is fired even though he had nothing to do with the incident. The explanation is that the hospital would receive bad press if it came out that they employed "retarded" staff. The test-taker is asked to discuss whether the worker's rights were violated based upon the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Essay Exam Tips
Students are advised to do the following on constitutional law essay exams: organize thoughts clearly and avoid cliched responses. Answer every question thoroughly with a clear understanding of the law, reach conclusions in every question and don't assume that the answers are transparent. Also, spend more time on difficult questions.
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