Understanding the Court System

Due Week 3 and worth 200 points

The U.S. Court System is a complex system that includes both federal and state-level courts. The federal system includes the judicial branch of the government. This system is designed to help society interpret the U.S. Constitution and provide guidelines for society. Court cases may concern many different topics and have an unlimited number of outcomes.

Use the Internet or Strayer databases to research a civil or criminal court case in which you are interested.

Write a five to eight (5-8) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the seminal facts of the case that you chose.
2. Explain the main laws that have been violated in the case that you chose.
3. Describe the possible penalties that could be associated with the laws that you just described.
4. Explain whether your specific case was heard in the state or federal court system, and include any related jurisdictional requirements. Explain the fundamental reasons why it was necessary for the case to be heard in that particular court system.
5. Summarize the outcome of the case, and indicate whether the judge or jury made the decision.
6. Discuss whether or not you believe that the outcome of the case was justified. Provide a rationale for the response.
7. Use at least (3) quality academic resources. Note: Wikipedia and other websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• This course requires use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Examine the organizational frameworks and decision-making environment in the judicial process.
• Examine the rule of law in the American court system and in the judicial process.
• Detail the history and organization of the levels of the American court system and the issue of jurisdictional boundaries.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in the criminal court and the judicial process in America.
• Write clearly and concisely about the American court system using proper writing mechanics and SWS style conventions.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.