Fall 2026
Class meeting time: Monday and Wednesday 1:00-2:50 pm
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 3:00-4:00 pm; Tuesday 9:00 am - 12:00 p.m.
Required Materials
(1) Joseph W. Glannon, Andrew M. Perlman, Peter Raven-Hansen, and Jennifer Reynolds, Civil Procedure: A Coursebook (5th ed. 2025) - students can use the print version and/or digital ebook version of the book
(2) other materials distributed to you via links on this website or USD's Canvas; and
(3) provisions in the following laws that I assign as reading: U.S. Constitution; Title 28 of the U.S. Code (28 U.S.C. §§ 1-5001); Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Fed. R. Civ. P. 1-86); California Code of Civil Procedure (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 1-2107); Rules and Laws for Civil Actions (open-access PDF with these laws)
Reading Assignments
I. Introduction
8/17: Pages 3-40 of the Glannon coursebook (CB) and
• U.S. Constitution: Article I, Section 8, Clause 9 (“To constitute tribunals...”) and Article III, Section 1 (Judicial Power Vested)
• Title 28 of the U.S. Code: 28 U.S.C. §§ 1, 41, 84, 2072
• Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) 1, 79, 81
• Optional materials: (1) Orin Kerr, How to Read a Legal Opinion, 11 Green Bag 2d 51 (2007); (2) Skim the Docket, Complaint, Answer, and Jury Verdict in Stone Brewing Co. v. Molson Coors Brewing Co., No. 3:18-cv-0331 (filed Feb. 2, 2018) and read this Reuters article about the case
II. Subject Matter Jurisdiction
8/19: CB 43-76 of chapter 3 (subject matter jurisdiction – diversity jurisdiction) and
• U.S. Constitution Article III, Section 2 (Scope of Judicial Power)
• U.S. Constitution: Amendment XIV (Fourteenth), Section 1
• 28 U.S.C. § 1251
• 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)-(c), (e)
8/24: CB 76-109 of chapters 3 and 4 (diversity jurisdiction cont’d; federal question jurisdiction) and
• 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1338
• 15 U.S.C. § 1121
8/26: CB 93-145 of chapters 4 and 5 (federal question jurisdiction cont’d; removal) and
• 28 U.S.C. § 1441(a)-(c)
• 28 U.S.C. § 1446(a)-(d)
• 28 U.S.C. § 1447
III. Personal Jurisdiction
8/31: CB 149-152 and CB 163-180 of chapter 6 (intro to personal jurisdiction); Pages 2-3 of the July 2026 Supplement (Supp.) which you can download from the Files folder in Canvas (Coney Island); Pages 181-198 of chapter 7 (specific in personam jurisdiction) [skips Pennoyer and notes and questions after case]
9/2: CB 198-243 of chapter 7 (specific in personam jurisdiction cont'd)
9/7 (Mon): Labor day holiday - no class
9/9: CB 243-254 of chapter 7 (specific in personam jurisdiction cont'd); CB 255-278 of chapter 8 (other constitutional bases for personal jurisdiction)
9/14: CB 278-297 of chapter 8 (other constitutional bases for personal jurisdiction cont'd); CB 299-316 of chapter 9 (long arm statutes); Supp. 4-5 (Fuld)
• Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 410.10
9/16: CB 317-351 of chapter 10 (constitutional requirement of notice and methods of service of process)
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 4 (Summons)
• Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 413.10-417.40 (California’s Service of Summons rules – focus on §§ 413.10, 413.30, 414.10, 415.10, 415.20, and 416.10, and skim the rest)
IV. Venue
9/21: CB 355-371 of chapter 11 (basic venue); CB 373-401 of chapter 12 (challenges to venue: transfers and dismissals)
• 28 U.S.C. §§ 1390, 1391, 1404, 1406
V. Pleading
9/23: CB 405-440 of chapter 13 (basic pleading)
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
9/28: CB 440-52 of chapter 13 (basic pleading cont’d); CB 453-481 of chapter 14 (responding to the complaint)
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 12, 54, 55
9/30 CB 481-97 of chapter 14 (responding to the complaint cont’d); CB 499-523 of chapter 15 (care and candor in pleadings)
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 8, 11, 12
10/5: Midterm exam in class at 1 pm (covering material from 8/17 to 9/30)
10/7: 525-564 of chapter 16 (amending pleadings)
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 15
VI. Joinder and Supplemental Jurisdiction
10/12: CB 567-605 of chapter 17 (joinder of claims and parties)
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 13-14, 18-21, 42
10/14: CB 635-670 of chapter 19 (class actions) [skip chapter 18 (complex joinder)]
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 23
10/19: CB 671-705 of chapter 20 (supplemental jurisdiction); Supp. 6 (Royal Canin)
• 28 U.S.C. § 1367
VII. Discovery
10/21: CB 709-750 of chapter 21 (informal investigation and the scope of discovery)
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 26
10/26:CB 751-788 of chapter 22 (discovery tools) [Skip chapter 23 (discovery control and abuse)]
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 and 37
• Skim Fed. R. Civ. P. 27-36
VIII. Choice of Law
10/28: CB 811-850 of chapter 24 (state law in federal courts: the Erie doctrine) [skip chapter 25 (substance and procedure under the Erie doctrine)
• 28 U.S.C. §§ 1652, 2071, 2072
IX. Trial and Pretrial
11/12: CB 919-953 of chapter 27 (dispositions without trial) [skip chapter 26 pretrial case management]
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 41 and 56
11/4: CB 954-967 of chapter 27 (dispositions without trial cont'd); CB 1003-1030 of chapter 29 (judgment as a matter of law) [skip chapter 28 (right to a jury trial) and chapter 30 (jury instructions and verdicts]
• Fed. R. Civ. P. 50
X. After Final Judgment