SmartBrief
0
Confirm favorite deletion?
Criminal Law Keyed to Ohlin
Rehaif v. United States
Citation:
139 S. Ct. 2191, 204 L. Ed. 2d 594 (2019)Facts
Hamid Rehaif entered the United States on a nonimmigrant student visa to attend university. After receiving poor grades, the university dismissed him and informed him that his immigration status would be terminated unless he transferred to a different university or left the country. Rehaif did neither. Subsequently, Rehaif visited a firing range where he shot two firearms. When the government learned about this, they prosecuted him for possessing firearms as an alien unlawfully in the United States. At trial, the judge instructed the jury that the government was not required to prove that Rehaif knew he was illegally or unlawfully in the United States. The jury found Rehaif guilty, and he was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. Rehaif appealed, arguing that the jury instruction was erroneous because the government should have been required to prove he knew of his unlawful status.
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.
Topic Resources
Topic Videos 
7m 52s
15m 13sTopic Outline 
Topic Refresher Course 