Case brief: Reasonable suspicion 4th Amendment: U.S. v. Arvizu, 534 U.S. 266 (2001)

Case Brief Guidelines

1. Case briefs will be written in the following format (mandatory):

1. Title and Citation (e.g. Jones v. Smith, 123 F.3d 456 (11th Cir. 2004))

1. Type of Action (e.g. civil suit for money damages for violation of free speech rights under the First Amendment.)

1. Facts of the Case (Discuss relevant facts; what happened? Why is this matter in court?)

1. Contentions of the Parties (What are the best arguments favoring each party?)

1. Issue(s) (The issue relevant to the subjects studied in the module in which it is assigned, e.g. Were Jones’ rights under the First Amendment violated when he was fired for speaking at a political rally?)

1. Decision (How did the court rule on that issue?)

1. Reasoning (Why did the court rule the way it did? This is the most important part of the case.)

1. Rule of Law (What one legal point do we take from this case?)

1. Length: Should not exceed 2 pages.

1. Case briefs grades are weighted as follows (total 4 points):
   1. Summary of facts: 1 point
   2. Format: 1 point
   3. Clarity of writing: 1 point
   4. Understanding of the court’s decision: 1 point