This course studies the role of the federal courts in our federal system and is designed to help equip students to effectively litigate challenging and complex civil matters. Topics include the power of Congress to regulate the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts; the case or controversy requirement and justiciability; the relationship between the federal and state court systems, including Supreme Court review of state court judgments; federal common law; sovereign and official immunity; abstention and related constitutional limits on federal court jurisdiction; and the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1983.