Criminal Law Keyed to Dressler
Regina v. Cunningham
ProfessorScott Caron
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
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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. Review the Facts of this case here:
The Defendant was engaged to be married. Defendant’s prospective in-laws lived next door to Defendant and his fiancee. The two homes used to be one, but in the basement, a wall had been erected to divide the cellars of the two homes. The Defendant became short of money and tore the gas meter off the wall to obtain money. Even though there was a stop tap within two feet of the meter, the Defendant did not turn off the gas. Subsequently, the gas seeped through the basement wall and partially asphyxiated Mrs. Wade, Defendant’s prospective mother in law. The Defendant was charged with unlawfully and maliciously administering to or causing to be administered to or taken by any other person any poison or other destructive or noxious thing, so as to endanger the life of such person or inflict bodily harm. The judge charged the jury that “malicious” is defined as wicked. The Defendant was convicted, and he thereafter initiated this appeal, averring that the judge’s instruction was inc orrect.
- 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.
15m 13s