SmartBrief
0
Confirm favorite deletion?
Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Shaw v. Reno
Citation:
509 U.S. 630, 113 S.Ct. 2816, 125 L.Ed.2d 511 (1993).Facts
The U.S. Attorney General rejected a North Carolina congressional reapportionment plan because the plan created only 1 black-majority district. North Carolina submitted a second plan creating 2 black-majority districts. One of these districts was, for the most part, no wider than the interstate road along which it stretched, even though it was approximately 160 miles long.
Five North Carolina residents challenged the constitutionality of this unusually shaped district, alleging that its only purpose was to secure the election of additional black representatives, violating their constitutional right to participate in a “color-blind” electoral process.
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.
Case Quiz
Results
Topic Resources
™ CaseCast
InstructorMatthew Steinberg
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
5m 39sTopic Outline 
Topic Refresher Course 