Case Name

For class dated Month Day, Year

Book Name
Pages XXX-XXXX

The Parties

Plaintiff -

Defendant -

Appellant -

Respondent -

Procedural History

What happened in the lower courts?

The Facts

A one-sentence description of the nature of the case, to serve as an introduction.

A statement of the relevant law, with quotation marks or underlining to draw
attention to the key words or phrases that are in dispute.

A summary of the complaint (in a civil case) or the indictment (in a criminal case)
plus relevant evidence and arguments presented in court to explain who
did what to whom and why the case was thought to involve illegal
conduct.

A summary of actions taken by the lower courts, for example: defendant
convicted; conviction upheld by appellate court; Supreme Court granted
certiorari.

The Issue

When noting issues, it may help to phrase them in terms of questions that can be answered with a precise “yes” or “no.”

What specific legal questions does this case raise?

For example, does the proximity of Ruritania to Zombie Island give Ruritania a legal basis for making a territorial claim for Zombie Island?

What more general legal questions does this case raise?

For example, is "proximity" a legitimate basis under international law for making a territorial claim for an island?

The Holding

How did the court answer the issue question(s)? YES/NO?

Court's Reasoning

The reasoning, or rationale, is the chain of argument which led the judges in either a majority or a dissenting opinion to rule as they did. This should be outlined point by point in numbered sentences or paragraphs.

What legal reasoning informed the court's decision?

What rules of law, for example, did it apply?

How did it interpret legal principles, documents?

How did it construe the facts?

Concurring/Dissenting Opinions

The reasoning, or rationale, is the chain of argument which led the judges in either a majority or a dissenting opinion to rule as they did. This should be outlined point by point in numbered sentences or paragraphs.

What legal reasoning informed the court's decision?

What rules of law, for example, did it apply?

How did it interpret legal principles, documents?

How did it construe the facts?

Analysis

Here the student should evaluate the significance of the case, its relationship to other cases, its place in history, and what is shows about the Court, its members, its decision-making processes, or the impact it has on litigants, government, or society. It is here that the implicit assumptions and values of the Justices should be probed, the “rightness” of the decision debated, and the logic of the reasoning considered. Also consider what existing legal questions, if any, are left unresolved by this case, and what new questions, if any, it raises.