J-Term: 1/9 (M); 1/11 (W); 1/13 (F); 1/17(T) & 1/19 (Th) This course will explore a set of constitutional controversies over the shape of money and credit, and consider what impact the outcomes of those controversies had. Money and credit are public institutions that are created by law. As the financial crisis revealed, the way they are configured matters enormously. The authority of the Federal Reserve, for example, apparently includes the ability to make monetary policy decisions that move hundreds of billions of dollars. Our coverage will include the following or similar episodes. 1) The debate over constitutionality of the Band of United States, 2) The litigation over the Greenbacks and paper money more generally, 3) U.S. v. Perry and the American devaluation of the dollar during the Depression, and 4) The authority of the Federal Reserve as an independent agency.