Criminal Law keyed to Dripps
United States v. Jones
Facts
Washington, D.C. nightclub owner Antoine Jones (Defendant) was suspected by the FBI of being involved in a large-scale drug trafficking operation. As part of a joint task-force operation with the police, FBI agents applied for a warrant that would allow them to place a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking device on Defendant’s vehicle in an effort to track his movements. A federal district court issued the warrant but required the agents to place the device on Defendant’s vehicle within ten days of issuance of the warrant and while the vehicle was physically located in the District of Columbia. On the eleventh day, and while the vehicle was parked in a lot in Maryland, agents placed the GPS device on the vehicle’s undercarriage. For twenty-eight days, the Government used the device to track Defendant’s movements and collected more than 2,000 pages of data. Defendant was indicted on multiple counts of drug-related offenses. Prior to trial, defense counsel filed a motion to suppress the information the Government obtained from the GPS device. The district court granted the motion in part and suppressed only the data obtained while the vehicle was parked in a garage adjoining Defendant’s residence. Defendant was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The court of appeals reversed and held the warrantless use of the GPS device violated the Fourth Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to review.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*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.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.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.