SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Civil rights Keyed to Jeffries, 5th Ed.
Van De Kamp v. Goldstein
Citation:
555 U.S. 335 (2009)Facts
In 1980, Thomas Goldstein was convicted of murder based significantly on the testimony of Edward Floyd Fink, a jailhouse informant. After serving 24 years in prison, Goldstein filed a habeas corpus action claiming that Fink had previously received reduced sentences for providing favorable testimony in other cases, that prosecutors knew about this favorable treatment, and that this impeachment information was not disclosed to Goldstein’s attorney. The federal court agreed that this failure might have made a difference in his trial and ordered his release. Upon release, Goldstein filed a § 1983 action against the former Los Angeles County district attorney and chief deputy district attorney, claiming that his constitutional rights were violated due to their failure to adequately train and supervise prosecutors regarding the disclosure of impeachment information and their failure to establish an information system about informants.
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.