Criminal Law keyed to Dripps
United States v. Bailey
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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:
Clifford Bailey, James T. Cogdell, Ronald C. Cooley, and Ralph Walker (Defendants) were inmates at a federal detention facility located in Washington, D.C. Early one morning, Defendants crawled through a window, slid down a knotted bed sheet, and escaped from custody. After varying periods of time, each Defendant was re-captured and charged with escape in violation of 18 U.S.C. 751(a). Defendants were scheduled to be tried together but at the last minute,Cogdell secured a severance to be tried separately. At the trial of Bailey, Cooley, and Walker, each Defendant attempted to present evidence of duress as a defense, which was rejected by the court. Bailey, Cooley, and Walker were convicted. At Cogdell’s trial, he attempted to present evidence of deplorable conditions at the prison as a defense for his escape. The court rejected that defense argument as well and Cogdell was convicted. During both trials, the court stressed that to sustain the defenses, Defendants would have to introduce some evidence that they tried to surrender or engaged in similar conduct once they freed themselves from the conditions described. On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia narrowly reversed the convictions and held that the trial court had improperly excluded evidence offered by each Defendant. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to review.
- 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.