State Supreme Courts: How They Work and When They Don't

In this course we will explore how cases are developed in the trial courts and presented on appeal in the Vermont Supreme Court.  Taught by two recently retired Justices, the course will include a substantive component focused primarily on Vermont Constitutional law and trial and appellate procedure, and an experiential component in which students will participate in a moot appellate court presentation, including submitting a written argument in a “brief” and making an oral argument to a “bench” of one or more judges.  Students will examine in depth the briefs, oral arguments, and resulting decisions for two recently decided Vermont Supreme Court cases, and will attend the arguments for actual cases being heard on campus by the Vermont Supreme Court.  Having read and discussed the briefs and issues in those cases, students will meet with the Justices of the Court and the lawyers who presented arguments.  Finally, students will read about and discuss “hot topics” in the United States’ legal and justice system, including how judges are selected and the length of judicial terms, the cost and availability of legal services, and the future of the legal profession.