SmartBrief
0
Confirm favorite deletion?
Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Johnson v. California
Citation:
545 U.S. 162 (2005)Facts
Jay Shawn Johnson, a Black male, was charged with second-degree murder and assault resulting in the death of a white 19-month-old child. During jury selection, 43 eligible jurors remained after removals for cause, including three Black prospective jurors. The prosecutor used three of his twelve peremptory challenges to remove all three Black prospective jurors, resulting in an all-white jury. After the second strike against a Black juror, defense counsel objected, arguing the challenge was unconstitutionally based on race. The trial judge did not ask the prosecutor to explain the rationale for the strikes but instead found Johnson had failed to establish a prima facie case under California precedent, requiring a “strong likelihood” that the challenges were based on race. When the prosecutor struck the final Black juror, defense counsel objected again, but the judge again denied the motion, stating her own examination of the record showed race-neutral reasons for the strikes based on the jurors’ questionnaire answers.
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.