SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Constitutional Law Keyed to Feldman
U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton
Citation:
514 U.S. 779 (1995)Facts
In November 1992, Arkansas voters approved Amendment 73 to the state constitution, which included term limits for state officeholders and members of the Arkansas congressional delegation. Section 3 of the amendment provided that persons who had been elected to three or more terms as a U.S. Representative or two or more terms as a U.S. Senator from Arkansas would not be certified as candidates and would not be eligible to have their names placed on the ballot for election to those offices. The amendment allowed these candidates to run as write-in candidates. The preamble to Amendment 73 stated that “entrenched incumbency has reduced voter participation and has led to an electoral system that is less free, less competitive, and less representative than the system established by the Founding Fathers.” Respondents, including Bobbie Hill and the League of Women Voters, filed suit challenging the constitutionality of the amendment. The State of Arkansas and U.S. Term Limits, Inc. intervened to defend the amendment.
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
8m 59sTopic Outline 
Topic Refresher Course 
Topic Charts & Notes 