Confirm favorite deletion?
Criminal Law Keyed to Johnson
Vaden v. State
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. Review the Facts of this case here:
Law enforcement received a tip that Douglas Vaden (Defendant) was using illegal hunting methods while providing guiding services to hunters. John Snell, an undercover agent from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, posed as a hunter, asking Vaden to act as a guide. During the hunt, Snell shot and killed four foxes from Vaden’s aircraft using a shotgun provided by Vaden. At the time, fox-hunting season was closed. Vaden subsequently transferred the fox carcasses to Anchorage. Vaden was convicted as an accomplice on charges of illegally hunting foxes during the closed season. Vaden appealed his conviction, arguing that the public authority justification defense available to Snell as an undercover agent should also be available to Vaden as a charged accomplice. The court of appeals upheld Vaden’s convictions. In a companion case, undercover agent Thomas Pagel posed as a hunter, requesting that Floyd Saltz (Defendant) help guide a hunt. Saltz and Pagel flew out to fish and hunt. Even though only fly fishing was permitted, Saltz decided to switch methods and gave Pagel a baited spinning rod, which Saltz and Pagel used to catch about 50 fish. Saltz caught and killed about 20 pike fish. The next day, Saltz and Pagel flew into the hunting area to hunt caribou. Saltz gave Pagel a rifle and told Pagel which caribou to shoot. Pagel shot and killed the caribou, after which Saltz also shot a caribou, even though it was illegal to kill a caribou on the same day as being airborne. Saltz and Pagel did not take any of the meat from the fish and caribou. Saltz was charged based on the actions of both himself and Pagel in killing and wasting the animals, as well as using illegal fishing gear and wasting fish. Saltz moved to dismiss. The trial court denied the motion, and Saltz was convicted on all counts. Defendants appealed their convictions.
- 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.