The James Madison Legacy Project

Provided by Marcus McGuinn

Analyzing A Court Case

It is often necessary to incorporate a court case or portion of an opinion into an academic
argument. To do this well, analyzing cases effectively is essential. Below is an outline for
simplifying the process. A case analysis has the following elements:
1. Summarizing the facts of a case:
a. Who are the parties?
b. What are the most significant facts?
c. What does the party who initiated the lawsuit want to happen in this case?
d. How did the lower courts rule?
2. Framing the issue: this is the legal issue presented in the case. For this institute, the
issue will relate to the Bill of Rights and/or the 14th Amendment. These are the
questions to consider:
a. What is the legal issue in this case?
b. What sections of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Civil Rights laws, or other laws
apply to this case?
c. Are there past court decisions that are relevant to this case and have
precedential value for this case?
d. How is this case similar or different from these past cases?
3. Making a decision and explaining the reasoning behind the decision:
a. What are the arguments for both parties?
b. What kind of impact will the decision have on the law? On society?