The Evergreen Supreme Court

Work Sheet for Use During Oral Arguments

Completion of this worksheet during oral arguments is mandatory for everyone except for the justices hearing a particular case.  To complete this worksheet, you will need to listen carefully to the oral arguments.  Respond to each item within the space provided.  Please write legibly.  At the end of each court session, please place your completed sheet in the folder with your name.  Please do not doodle on this sheet.

Your name:

Name of case:

1. Listen carefully for the facts of the case. Then:

a) Write a brief summary (1-3 sentences) of the facts as you understand them (This is likely to be easier to write if you wait until the appellants have finished presenting the statement of the case. Because of the limited time you have to write, this may be a bare-bones summary without much detail. It may also be more general than specific):

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
b) Write a brief statement (1-2 sentences, no detail) of the main controversy (issue) as you understand it from hearing the oral arguments:

 
 
 
 

2. After oral argument and while the panel of judges is out deliberating on this case, discuss the case with a small group (4-6) of students for about five minutes. Before the judges return to render their decision:

a) Tell in one sentence how you would decide this case (i.e., in whose favor you would rule):

 
 
b) Tell in one to three sentences what the rationale would be for your ruling (i.e., "why," your reasoning):

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3. After the judges return from their deliberations, listen carefully to their decision and rationale. Is the judges’ decision (i.e. ruling or holding) the same as or different from yours?

a) If the judges’ decision is different from yours, did the judges’ rationale, as articulated by them, change your mind? If so, explain why. If not, explain why you continue to disagree with the judges:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
b) If the judges’ decision is the same as yours, compare their rationale with the one you wrote above under 2 (b). For example, if your rationale is the same as theirs, you might want to explain briefly how you could strengthen your own rationale now that you have the benefit of hearing theirs. Or, if your rationale is different from theirs, you might want to explain either (1) how your own rationale above would be strengthened with some aspect of the judges’ rationale or (2) how you believe that the judges’ rationale would be strengthened with some aspect of your rationale (e.g., you might want to point out key reasoning that you believe the judges overlooked):