Potential Moot Court Tool - SCOTUS Blog

Two of the best resources for monitoring the USSC are the SCOTUS Blog and SCOTUS Wiki. The blog is great for keeping you up to date: use the RSS feed or your iGoogle feed application. The wiki links to the original documents filed in the case. The two are joined at the hip: the blog generally links to the wiki page where the documents are maintained.

Here's an example to consider. Just this last semester one of the LP sections had an assignment that involved an issue about impeachment evidence that was illegally obtained. That issue was eventually resolved when the USSC heard the case of Kansas v. Ventris and entered its decision. Not only was the progress of the case through the USSC tracked by blog posts, all of the relevant documents were posted on the wiki along with a recap and analysis of the oral argument and the decision.

Dressing for Moot Court - Sort Of

How should you dress for oral argument? The 7th Circuit (the same people that brought you the 7th Circuit Meltdown) have some suggestions about what is not appropriate. And, here to make their usual cynical observations about the 7th Circuit judges is an Above the Law posting.

Judge McCuskey's observations make interesting reading.

New Article on Oral Advocacy for Moot Court

Check out the new article on moot court written by James Dimitri as part of the Stetson Law School Center for Excellence in Advocacy Symposium: Stepping Up to the Podium with Confidence: A Primer for Law Students on Preparing and Delivering an Appellate Oral Argument, 38 Stetson Law Review 75 (2008). You can find it on Westlaw at 38 STETLR 75 or on Lexis at 38 Stetson L. Rev. 75. The original working paper is available on SSRN. The abstract is here. Just follow the links to the full paper.

This article is a true primer; quite useful for making sure you've covered the basics. Take a good look at the "brainstorming" section. This is a step that many students skip.

A note of explanation: Symposia issue are often published long after the fact. This symposium was held in 2008. The article is just now being published. This can often be a key factor when trying to find an article specifically written for a symposium.

7th Circuit Oral Argument Meltdown

Here's an example of what can happen when you completely misjudge your case, your audience, yourself... Follow this link to the 7th Circuit oral argument page for the case of U.S. v. Johnson. Then follow the hyperlink "Oral Argument" to the audio file to see just how bad things can get.

After counsel's attempt at oral argument, the case went on to be decided; the full opinion appears at 123 Fed.Appx. 240, 2005 WL 589976 (2005).

Souter to Leave USSC

This became news late last night. Here is a sampler from some of the sources this blog follows:

The NYTimes - Souter Retiring Leaving Obama a Choice.

The SCOTUS Blog - Justice Souter's Retirement and Where We Go from Here.

Above The Law - ATL Poll: Who Should Replace SCOTUS Justice David Souter? The usual snarky comment ATL is known for? Check it out right here...

That the next Supreme Court justice will lack a Y chromosome is a virtual certainty, but we've thrown a few token males into the poll anyway. Who strikes your fancy?

But, here's the best from a surprising source - GAWKER - Rush Limbaugh Saw Obama's Top SCOTUS Candidate Coming Years Ago. Wow! What prescience from the Big Guy...

Tip of the hat to Roberta on the Gawker story...