Criminal Procedure keyed to Weinreb
Oregon v. Mathiason
Facts
The Respondent, Carl Mathiason (the “Respondent”), was convicted of first-degree burglary. His confession was critical to the case. A police officer left the Respondent his card after being told by a burglary victim that the Respondent was the only person she could think that would rob her home. The Respondent came to the police station and was told he was not under arrest. The officer told the Respondent that he thought he was involved in the burglary and lied to him that his fingerprints were found on the scene. The defendant then confessed to taking the property. After the confession, the officer read the Respondent his Miranda rights. Thereafter, he taped a confession. The Respondent was then again informed that he was not under arrest at the time and released to go home and to his job. During trial, the Respondent moved to suppress the confession because it was not preceded by Miranda warnings. The trial court refused to suppress the confession because it found the Respondent was not in custody. The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the Respondent’s conviction, but the Supreme Court of Oregon reversed. If concluded “although [the Respondent] had not been arrested or otherwise formally detained, “the interrogation took place in a `coercive environment'” of the sort to which Miranda was intended to apply.”
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.