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Constitutional Law Keyed to Farber
Jinks v. Richland County
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*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
- Topic: Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.
- Parties: Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.
- Procedural Posture & History: Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.
- Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.: A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.
- Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises: Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
- Brief Facts: A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.
- Rule of Law: Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.
- Facts: What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case. Review the Facts of this case here:
Susan Jinks (plaintiff) brought a wrongful death action and a civil rights claim against Richland County (defendant) in federal court after her husband died in the county detention center. The federal court had jurisdiction over the civil rights claim, which was grounded in federal law, and exercised supplemental jurisdiction over the wrongful death claim, which was grounded in state law. Section 1367 of the U.S. Judicial Code allows federal courts to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over state law claims—claims that they ordinarily would not have the authority to review—if there is a related federal claim for which there is independent jurisdiction. In this case, the district court awarded summary judgment to the county on the civil rights claim. The district court then dismissed the wrongful death claim under § 1367(c), which requires federal courts to dismiss supplemental claims if all federal claims have been dismissed. Jinks took her wrongful death action to state court, where the jury ruled in her favor. The South Carolina Supreme Court reversed the jury verdict, holding that Jinks did not bring her claims within the prescribed state statute of limitations. The state supreme court also held that § 1367(d) of the U.S. Judicial Code, which states that the period of limitations for supplemental claims to be refiled in state court is tolled while such claims are pending in federal court, does not preempt South Carolina’s statute of limitations.
- Issue(s): Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.
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- Reasoning and Analysis: Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
- Policy: Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.
- Court Direction: Shares where the Court went from here for this case.