Designed for anyone who has an interest in using moot court simulations as an educational exercise, How to Please the Court brings together prominent moot court faculty who share their collective years of experience in building a successful moot court program. Touching on all aspects of the moot court experience, this book guides the reader through conducting legal research, the structure of an oral argument, the tournament experience, and the successes and rewards of competition.

The bestselling, unprecedented live recordings and transcripts of twenty-three landmark Supreme Court cases.

After a Sweet Sixteen ceremony, Reyna Clifton - the mother of the birthday girl - is found severely injured at the bottom of the grand staircase of the Regal Phoenix Resort and Spa. The Clifton family blames the resort for Reyna's fall, and sues for negligence. Daniel Mendoza and his firm are called in to defend the lawsuit, but when Mrs. Clifton is found dead in her hospital room, Daniel's suspicions arise. With the help of his legal team and a private investigator, Daniel is determined to find out what really happened to Mrs. Clifton. But who would have wanted to murder her, and is there some other foul play involved?

An Introduction to Constitutional Law teaches the narrative of constitutional law as it has developed historically and provides the essential background to understand how this foundational body of law has come to be what it is today. This multimedia experience combines a book and video series to engage students more directly in the study of constitutional law. All students—even those unfamiliar with American history—will garner a firm understanding of how constitutional law has evolved. An eleven-hour online video library brings the Supreme Court’s most important decisions to life. Videos are enriched by photographs, maps, and audio from the Supreme Court. The book and videos are accessible for all levels: law school, college, high school, home school, and independent study. Students can read and watch these materials before class to prepare for lectures or study after class to fill in any gaps in their notes. And, come exam time, students can binge-watch the entire canon of constitutional law in about twelve hours.

The former Supreme Court justice shares stories about the history and evolution of the Supreme Court that traces the roles of key contributors while sharing the events behind important transformations.

This book examines ethical and effective legal writing by providing more than two hundred examples of judges' reactions to errors in lawyers' writing. Updated throughout, the second edition covers errors ranging from serious ethical breaches, like misrepresenting facts, to grammatical and citation errors. The erring lawyers incurred consequences that ranged from disbarment to strong verbal rebukes. Written by a law professor and former practitioner, the book promotes high standards in legal writing. It is recommended for law school courses as well as for continuing legal education courses, law firms, and individuals interested in effective writing and the soundness of the legal system. Practical exercises are included to help readers improve their writing techniques. A teacher's manual is available electronically on a CD or via email.

How to Please the Court: A Moot Court Handbook is a resource designed for students and teachers to prepare for and participate in undergraduate appellate court simulations. This text is the only one of its kind on the market, focusing on helping undergraduate students try their hand at appellate advocacy. The authors combine their decades of experience teaching and coaching moot court to help students understand key skills needed in appellate advocacy such as legal research, critical thinking, oral advocacy, and impromptu speaking. The authors also help students prepare for competition by taking them step by step through the work needed before a tournament and what to expect at a tournament. Unlike similar texts for law students, How to Please the Court speaks to students who have not started law school and may not have access to the materials or educational resources that a law school provides. This text includes chapters like Understanding Legal Research, Moot Court as a Classroom Activity, and Brief Writing for Moot Court. This text and its blueprint for appellate advocacy simulations would be a valuable addition to classes like American Government, Constitutional Law, Communication and Advocacy, Judicial Politics, and of course Moot Court.

A sitting justice reflects upon the authority of the Supreme CourtÑhow that authority was gained and how measures to restructure the Court could undermine both the Court and the constitutional system of checks and balances that depends on it. A growing chorus of officials and commentators argues that the Supreme Court has become too political. On this view the confirmation process is just an exercise in partisan agenda-setting, and the jurists are no more than Òpoliticians in robesÓÑtheir ostensibly neutral judicial philosophies mere camouflage for conservative or liberal convictions. Stephen Breyer, drawing upon his experience as a Supreme Court justice, sounds a cautionary note. Mindful of the CourtÕs history, he suggests that the judiciaryÕs hard-won authority could be marred by reforms premised on the assumption of ideological bias. Having, as Hamilton observed, Òno influence over either the sword or the purse,Ó the Court earned its authority by making decisions that have, over time, increased the publicÕs trust. If public trust is now in decline, one part of the solution is to promote better understandings of how the judiciary actually works: how judges adhere to their oaths and how they try to avoid considerations of politics and popularity. Breyer warns that political intervention could itself further erode public trust. Without the publicÕs trust, the Court would no longer be able to act as a check on the other branches of government or as a guarantor of the rule of law, risking serious harm to our constitutional system.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Justice Neil Gorsuch reflects on his journey to the Supreme Court, the role of the judge under our Constitution, and the vital responsibility of each American to keep our republic strong. As Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention, he was reportedly asked what kind of government the founders would propose. He replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” In this book, Justice Neil Gorsuch shares personal reflections, speeches, and essays that focus on the remarkable gift the framers left us in the Constitution. Justice Gorsuch draws on his thirty-year career as a lawyer, teacher, judge, and justice to explore essential aspects our Constitution, its separation of powers, and the liberties it is designed to protect. He discusses the role of the judge in our constitutional order, and why he believes that originalism and textualism are the surest guides to interpreting our nation’s founding documents and protecting our freedoms. He explains, too, the importance of affordable access to the courts in realizing the promise of equal justice under law—while highlighting some of the challenges we face on this front today. Along the way, Justice Gorsuch reveals some of the events that have shaped his life and outlook, from his upbringing in Colorado to his Supreme Court confirmation process. And he emphasizes the pivotal roles of civic education, civil discourse, and mutual respect in maintaining a healthy republic. A Republic, If You Can Keep It offers compelling insights into Justice Gorsuch’s faith in America and its founding documents, his thoughts on our Constitution’s design and the judge’s place within it, and his beliefs about the responsibility each of us shares to sustain our distinctive republic of, by, and for “We the People.”