Scott V. Sandford

I. Determine which case, of the topics we cover this semester, interests you. Secure my approval. Find
U.S. Supreme Court Decisions at Supremecourt.gov under Opinions. You can also find most of the
required material on Google Scholar, or in EBSCO host: Academic Search Premier, JStor, LegalTrac,
or Nexis. There are other online sources, but you may use only online sources that includes page
citations (usually available in pdf form). Most of your sources with be law journal discussions,
which tend to be very thorough.
Note: You need to note that a syllabus of a decision is only a summary by a clerk, it is not the
decision itself. You will need to find the full text of the decision, with both majority and
dissenting opinions. Page numbers of published cases often appear in brackets, e.g.: [123], in
online sources. It would be best if you can find the case in a pdf format that gives the same
page numbering as in the original decision. . The best source that I have found for this is either
the Supreme Court itself, https://www.supremecourt.gov or https://supreme.justia.com/.
II. Read the entire decision!
As you are reading the first decision, note the main points of the decision:
(1) the persons involved;
(2) the specific area of law concerning which there is a question;
(3) the rulings of lower courts
(4) the solution rendered by the Supreme court majority with regard to that question of law;
(5) notice any concurring or dissenting opinions written by one or more of the judges;
(6) note the final judgment of the Supreme court with regard to the persons involved (do
they remain in prison? are they required to be freed? are their fines upheld?, etc.).
III. Read background research on the case. Include sources from at least two law journal articles and at
least one book that provide additional analysis on the case. If possible, find the original briefs which
may be available at various websites, such as the ABA (American Bar Association) or, if very recent,
at the U.S. Supreme Court website; also, you might want to look at underlying lower court rulings.
IV. Write your summary of the case, with an emphasis on the background (how and why this case came to
the court), the implications of the decision (from law journals), and the legitimacy of the reasoning
(summarize and explain–do not quote).
V. Type a final draft with at least five pages of prose of this discussion.
A. Proof to make sure that your grammar and spelling are correct. Also proof for clarity)–try
reading it aloud.
B. Include citations in footnote form (format is 10% of grade) as required in Turabian’s Manual for
Writers. Court citations require a particular form; they must include the name of the case, the
volume, reporter, first page, page cited, and the court and date (see example in cases cited in
the case you are reading). E.g.: Green v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 490 (1982);
subsequent citations can be abbreviated. Slip (recent) opinions usually have docket # but not
volume #, or may have future volume #.
C. Include separate Works Cited page for all the sources you use. E.g.: Green v. Board of Education347 U.S. 483 (1983).

Last Completed Projects