SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
United States Parole Comm’n v. Geraghty
Citation:
445 U.S. 388 (1980)Facts
John M. Geraghty was convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion and making false declarations to a grand jury, receiving a sentence of four years. In 1973, the United States Parole Board adopted explicit Parole Release Guidelines for adult prisoners, establishing a “customary range” of confinement for various classes of offenders. Geraghty applied for parole twice and was denied both times based on these guidelines. He then filed a class action in federal court on behalf of “all federal prisoners who are or who will become eligible for release on parole,” challenging the guidelines as inconsistent with the Parole Commission and Reorganization Act and the Constitution. The District Court denied class certification and granted summary judgment for the Parole Commission. Before any briefs were filed in the Court of Appeals, Geraghty was released from prison after serving 22 months. The Parole Commission moved to dismiss the appeal as moot, but the Court of Appeals held that the case was not moot and reversed the denial of class certification.
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.