Friday, April 02, 2004

Oral Argument Season 

We're all getting ready for our oral arguments this week in my Legal Research and Writing class, and in general it seems to be oral argument season across the law school universe. My (fictitious) case involves a convenience store robbery, in which the robber held a gun to the sole customer and demanded that the storeowner hand over the money from the register. The owner politely refused, but refused nonetheless. The arguments we're presenting involve issues of duty to protect a customer from foreseeable danger, duty to protect once the threat is underway, and policy decisions regarding providing services in underserved but dangerous areas and giving in to unlawful demands.

So I'm eating a leftover veggie burrito and watching Tru Calling last night after fighting my way home over flooded roads after class, and what is the traumatic event of the week but a serial robber who holds a gun to a customer and demands cash from the register! I found myself analyzing everyone's responses in each of the robberies, and deciding how that would affect a motion for summary judgment for each side... I've really become a law student. Resistance is futile.

But I did find a nice little tool for those of us preparing for our first foray into may-it-pleasing-the-court: the US Supreme Court posts transcripts of oral arguments they've heard. They're helpful and strangely nerve-calming to read, particularly for the openings, closings and how the attorneys handle questions from the justices. The pledge of allegiance case isn't posted yet, but I'm looking forward to reading it.

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Posted by Rogueslayer at 11:32 AM