A brief lecture concerning the rich heritage of the American legal system.

What is Practical Law?  It is part of the field of study known as jurisprudence – or the study of law and legal philosophy.  How does this course fit into the definition of jurisprudence?  Goals of the American legal system:  Protecting basic human rights  Promoting fairness  Helping resolve conflicts  Promoting order and stability  Representing the will of the majority  Protecting the rights of minorities

English Common Law  A brief review of history:  Our judicial heritage from England  Conservative by nature  Providence  Precedence  The rule of law in American society  The Supremacy of the Law  The Creation o f the law  Examples of the rule of law  Does any of this matter at all?

A few of my favorite things about SCOTUS…  The “rule of four”  The means by which writs of certiorari are granted by the Supreme Court  The adversarial system  Head-to-head competition  The best team wins  A panel of independent judges…  “…by an impartial jury of the state or district wherein the crime shall have been committed.”  Free speech  Dissenting opinions from the Supreme Court

A word from Chief Justice Roberts…  Answer the following questions as you view the documentary:  Why is the “Rule of Law” so important?  Why did the Founding Fathers create a Supreme Court?  Why so few details in Article III of the U.S. Constitution?  How do cases reach SCOTUS?  Describe the process of the Justices handling “briefs” and reaching their decisions.  Describe the process of “oral arguments” at the Supreme Court.  Explain the significance of “written opinions.”

Quiz tomorrow…  Be sure you understand the following concerning tomorrow’s quiz:  will cover the first set of lecture notes and documentary questions  Composed of ten short/ long answer questions  Will count 20/ 100 points toward your 1 st Quarter “Quiz Average”