Main Content
Vosburg v. Putney
As you read this case, see if you can tell the story of what happened in that classroom back in 1889. The ability to concisely repeat the facts and to identify the most important aspects of the case is an important legal skill called case briefing. We will keep things simple for our conversation, but try to focus on the following key points:
1. An accurate summary of all of the important facts. If the court uses the fact in its opinion, it's an important fact.
2. What is the legal issue the court is trying to resolve? It's usually found somewhere between the arguments that are being made by the plaintiff and the defendant.
3. How did the court answer the question raised by the issue you've identified?
4. How did the court explain its reasoning?
5. What do you think? Did the court make the right decision? Why or why not?
This book, and all H2O books, are Creative Commons licensed for sharing and re-use with the exception of certain excerpts. Any excerpts from the Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, and the Model Penal Code are copyright by The American Law Institute. Excerpts are reproduced with permission, not as part of a Creative Commons license.