For this assignment, we examine the United States legal system, which is often described as a
common law legal system. However, the United States legal system may incorporate principles
of other legal systems. This module will examine the unique system that has developed in the
United States. This assignment hones your research and writing and sharpens your analytical
skills by requiring you to research primary source founding documents, identify which legal
system they fall into and justify that identification, and also identify similarities between two
legal traditions that seem vastly different.
INSTRUCTIONS
The United States has developed a unique combination of both civil and common law. For this
essay, read the founding documents of the United States assigned for this Module: Week:
Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Then, read and review the United
States courts website. This essay will address the following:
In the first 2-3 pages of your essay, explain whether the United States founding
documents fall within the civil law, common law, or both.
In the second half of this essay, compare the format of the United States federal court
system to the court system of 1 state of your choosing. Compare the structure described
on the federal website to the structure described on the website of 1 state. You may
choose the state in which you live or a state you would like to visit. However, make sure
to provide citations to the websites from which you learned the information. Remember,
examine the structure on the website of the state’s court system, not on Wikipedia or
another online encyclopedia or blog.
Your essay must be 5–6 pages in current Bluebook format and contain at least 5 scholarly
sources in addition to/other than the course textbook and the Bible. Wikipedia does not count as
a scholarly source. Include headings for clear organization. Cover Pages will not count toward
the page total, and your citations should be in-text citations (not footnotes, endnotes, reference
pages, etc.).
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
Textbook – H. Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World (5th ed. 2014). ISBN: 9780199669837.
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