Cases in the News: Analysis & Lessons

ANALYZING COURT CASES IN THE NEWS

The Missouri Bar Citizenship Education program is committed to helping teachers assist their students in understanding the United States and Missouri Constitutions and there relevance to today’s headline cases. Headline cases often deal with abstract ideas like ex post facto laws, retrospective laws, double jeopardy, the right to assembly, cruel and unusual punishment and due process. The facts and holdings in these cases turn abstract ideas into concrete actions. The Missouri Bar Citizenship Education program will post both federal and state court cases on these topics and provide a method for teachers in Grades 5-12 to factually analyze the legal issues in these cases and discuss them with their students. These analyses will provide a framework for a classroom discussion not only about various constitutional issues and headline court cases but also for evaluating the accuracy of the media account of the court’s decision.

The worksheet below may be reproduced for classroom use for each case. The worksheet provides the format that will be used for preparing a teachers’ guide for the various cases that will assist the teacher in providing background information and in leading classroom discussion. Each case analysis will direct the teachers and students to web cites where the courts’ opinions and the statues and constitutional provisions at the center of court cases may be found. Any media account of a court’s opinion should be measured against these original sources. Questions may be directed to Millie Aulbur, Director of Citizenship Education, at milliea@mobar.org.

Worksheet #1--How to Analyze a Case

SUMMARIZING THE FACTS

1. Who are the parties?

Appellant(s) or Petitioner(s)

Respondent (s)

2. What happened in this case?

3. What does the party who initiated the lawsuit want to happen in this case?

4. How did the lower courts rule?

FRAMING THE ISSUE

1. What is the legal issue in this case?

2. What sections of the United States or Missouri Constitution, Bill of Rights, Civil Rights laws or other laws apply to this case?

3. Are there past court decisions that are relevant to this case and have precedential value for this case?

4. How is this case similar or different from these past cases?

MAKING A DECISION AND EXPLAINING THE REASONING BEHIND THE DECISION

1. What are the arguments for both parties?

Appellant(s):

Respondent(s):

2. What kind of impact will the decision have on the law? On society?