SmartBrief
0
Confirm favorite deletion?
Constitutional Law Keyed to Paulsen
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris
Citation:
536 U.S. 639 (2002)Facts
The Cleveland City School District served over 75,000 children, predominantly from low-income and minority families, in what had become one of the nation’s worst-performing school systems. In 1995, a federal court declared a “crisis of magnitude” and placed the district under state control. Only one in ten ninth graders could pass basic proficiency examinations, and more than two-thirds of students dropped out before graduation. In response, Ohio enacted the Pilot Project Scholarship Program providing two types of assistance: tuition aid for students to attend participating public or private schools of their parents’ choosing (up to $2,250 for low-income families), and tutorial aid for students remaining in public schools. Any private school, religious or nonreligious, could participate if located within district boundaries and meeting state standards. In 1999-2000, 56 private schools participated, 46 of which had religious affiliations. More than 3,700 students participated, with 96% enrolling in religiously affiliated schools. The program was part of broader educational reform including community schools and magnet schools.
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.