Case Study

case_study_1.docx

Case Study

Case Study 1: Understanding the Court System

Worth 200 points

The U.S. Court System is a complex system that includes both federal and state-level courts. The federal system includes the judicial branch of the government. This system is designed to help society interpret the U.S. Constitution and provide guidelines for society. Court cases may concern many different topics and have an unlimited number of outcomes.

Use the Internet or databases to research a civil or criminal court case in which you are interested.

Write a five to eight (5-8) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the seminal facts of the case that you chose.

2. Explain the main laws that have been violated in the case that you chose.

3. Describe the possible penalties that could be associated with the laws that you just described.

4. Explain whether your specific case was heard in the state or federal court system, and include any related jurisdictional requirements. Explain the fundamental reasons why it was necessary for the case to be heard in that particular court system.

5. Summarize the outcome of the case, and indicate whether the judge or jury made the decision.

6. Discuss whether or not you believe that the outcome of the case was justified. Provide a rationale for the response.

7. Use at least (3) quality academic resources. Note: Wikipedia and other websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

· Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

· Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

· Examine the organizational frameworks and decision-making environment in the judicial process.

· Examine the rule of law in the American court system and in the judicial process.

· Detail the history and organization of the levels of the American court system and the issue of jurisdictional boundaries.

· Use technology and information resources to research issues in the criminal court and the judicial process in America.

· Write clearly and concisely about the American court system using proper writing mechanics and APA style conventions.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.

Points: 200
Criteria	Fair 70-79% C	Proficient 80-89% B	Exemplary 90-100% A
1. Summarize the seminal facts of the case that you chose. Weight: 10%	Partially summarized the seminal facts of the case that you chose.	Satisfactorily summarized the seminal facts of the case that you chose.	Thoroughly summarized the seminal facts of the case that you chose.
2. Explain the main laws that have been violated in the case that you chose. Weight: 15%	Partially explained the main laws that have been violated in the case that you chose.	Satisfactorily explained the main laws that have been violated in the case that you chose.	Thoroughly explained the main laws that have been violated in the case that you chose.
3. Describe the possible penalties that could be associated with the laws that you just described. Weight: 15%	Partially described the possible penalties that could be associated with the laws that you just described.	Satisfactorily described the possible penalties that could be associated with the laws that you just described.	Thoroughly described the possible penalties that could be associated with the laws that you just described.
4. Explain whether your specific case was heard in the state or federal court system, and include any related jurisdictional requirements. Explain the fundamental reasons why it was necessary for the case to be heard in that particular court system. Weight: 15%	Partially explained whether your specific case was heard in the state or federal court system, and partially included any related jurisdictional requirements. Partially explained the fundamental reasons why it was necessary for the case to be heard in that particular court system.	Satisfactorily explained whether your specific case was heard in the state or federal court system, and satisfactorily included any related jurisdictional requirements. Satisfactorily explained the fundamental reasons why it was necessary for the case to be heard in that particular court system.	Thoroughly explained whether your specific case was heard in the state or federal court system, and thoroughly included any related jurisdictional requirements. Thoroughly explained the fundamental reasons why it was necessary for the case to be heard in that particular court system.
5. Summarize the outcome of the case, and indicate whether the judge or jury made the decision. Weight: 15%	Partially summarized the outcome of the case, and partially indicated whether the judge or jury made the decision.	Satisfactorily summarized the outcome of the case, and satisfactorily indicated whether the judge or jury made the decision.	Thoroughly summarized the outcome of the case, and thoroughly indicated whether the judge or jury made the decision.
6. Discuss whether or not you believe that the outcome of the case was justified. Provide a rationale for the response. Weight: 15%	Partially discussed whether or not you believe that the outcome of the case was justified. Partially provided a rationale for the response.	Satisfactorily discussed whether or not you believe that the outcome of the case was justified. Satisfactorily provided a rationale for the response.	Thoroughly discussed whether or not you believe that the outcome of the case was justified. Thoroughly provided a rationale for the response.
7. 3 references Weight: 5%	Does not meet the required number of references; some references poor quality choices.	Meets number of required references; all references high quality choices.	Exceeds number of required references; all references high quality choices.
8. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements Weight: 10%	5-6 errors present	3-4 errors present	0-2 errors present