Ryan v. U.S. Department of Justice, 950 F.2d 458 (7th Cir. 1991)

5. Case briefs will be written in the following format (mandatory):

a. Title and Citation (e.g. Jones v. Smith, 123 F.3d 456 (11th Cir. 2004))

b. Type of Action (e.g. civil suit for money damages for violation of free speech rights under the First Amendment.)

c. Facts of the Case (Discuss relevant facts; what happened? Why is this matter in court?)

d. Contentions of the Parties (What are the best arguments favoring each party?)

• Smith argues that:

• Jones argues that: 

e. Issue(s) (The issue relevant to the subjects studied in the module in which it is assigned, e.g. Were Jones’ rights under the First Amendment violated when he was fired for speaking at a political rally?)

f. Decision (How did the court rule on that issue?) 

g. Reasoning (Why did the court rule the way it did? This is the most important part of the case.)

h. Rule of Law (What one legal point do we take from this case?) 

6. Length: Should not exceed 2 pages.

7. Do not post a brief without checking your spelling and grammar. You will lose points for errors.

8. Important Point: Each time you brief a case, remember why the case is selected at this point in the course. Some cases address multiple issues. You do not need to discuss all of the issues. Focus on the point of law where the case is assigned in the course.