Law Research Paper

Choose a SupremeCourt case on a topic of interest.  The case must be significant enough for you to analyze thoroughly, but does not have to be a highly publicized case.  There must be at least 1 dissent opinion included in the decision, more than just stating they dissent.

Topic:

1. Supreme Court Case     Stumpv. Sparkman

Deliverables:

1. The text of the paper must be a minimum of twelve pages (Maximum of fourteen). 
2. You must use at least one case.  Cases must be cited in proper legal format.  
3. You must support your findings with at least 5 sources (text can be included as 1).  Citations must be submitted in APA format. 
4. Plagiarism shall result in disciplinary action. 

Breakdown of Paper

·         Who are the Justices on the court and what are the political implications?

·         Pick one of the Justices an briefly describe their legal background - how did they become a Justice?

·         Analyze how the case got to the Supreme Court

·         Is the topic of the case originally Civil or Criminal in nature?  Detail the key differences in how the case is handled given the type.

·         Analyze the judicial decisions - who followed which perspective and how can you tell?

·         Describe any policy making aspects evident within the case.

Helpful References:

http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3676&context=mlr

http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2753&context=dlj

http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/kay-sparkman-ora-mcfarlin-36848536

http://www.iupui.edu/~eugenics/