Moot Court: Supreme Court Justice Summative Assignment

As a member of our Student Supreme Court nine-justice panel you will hear at least two cases.

As a justice your demeanor should reflect he seriousness of the situation and you will have the following responsibilities:

  1. You should ask at least one question (per case) of the attorneys while serving as a justice. As they are presenting their arguments listen carefully and take notes on important details. You will get formative assessment credit for serving as a justice as well as asking a relevant question.
  2. You must choose one of the cases you hear on which to write an “opinion” of the court. This will count as one of your summative assessments for the Moot Court process.The opinion is due, typed, on January 26th(Blue)/27th(Gold). This will be a majority, concurring, or dissenting opinion. The opinion must accomplish the following:

Paragraph 1:Give a very brief summary of the case and explain what each side argued. Background info

Paragraph 2:Explain what the legal question(s) was and what law/Amendment it concerned. What were you the justice deciding?

Paragraph 3: Side A’s argument. What did they present? What were their argument’s points?

Paragraph 4: Side B’s argument. What did they present? What were their argument’s points?

Paragraph 5:Tell us what the Student Supreme Court’s decision was.What did your group of Justice’s decide? (# vs #) Why?(What did you discuss out there?)

Paragraph 6:How did you vote? Explain your reasoning for how you voted. You must include the law in question and explain how it factored into your decision. You must also explain why you agreed or did not agree with your fellow justices.Were you in the majority, concurring, or dissenting? Why did you vote that way? Please remember, you are deciding something based on the application of the law and not your own personal feelings.

Rubric for Moot Court OpinionStudent Name:

Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. / A / B / C / I
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1a Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. / -Student gives a brief but informative summary of the case
-Demonstrates a thorough understanding of each side’s argument.
-They are also able to clearly articulate the legal question(s) they need to decide using legal language. / -Student gives an informative summary of the case (it may be overlong)
-Demonstrates a good understanding of each side’s argument.
-They are able to identify the legal question(s) they need to decide using legal language. / -Student gives a basic summary of the case, may confuse minor points
-Demonstrates a basic understanding of each side’s argument. They may confuse minor points of information.
-They are also able to describe the legal question(s) they need to decide but may not use the exact legal language. / -Student summary is absent or it confuses major points of information.
-Student does not understand each side’s argument.
-They are unable to identify the legal question(s) they need to decide.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1b Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources. / -Student thoroughly explains their reasoning for how they decided.
-Their logic is sound and it is clear how they applied the law. / -Student satisfactorily explains their reasoning.
-Their explanation is mostly logical and it is clear how they applied the law. / -Student explains the basics of their reasoning.
-Their explanation is logical but may confuse minor points if information. It is clear how they applied the law. / -Student fails to explain their reasoning or their logic is unsound.
-They may confuse major points of information and it is unclear how they applied the law, instead they justify their position using only their personal beliefs.