First QUIZ LINK


Wrong answers are not penalized more than blanks, so you should guess, even if unsure.

Please give your answers as either a simple TXT file, or as a comment in blackboard in the appropriate "assignment" section


True or False


  1. The headnotes of a case are often compiled and written by the presiding judge of that case.

  1. The red stop sign encountered in the online "Shepard's" service means roughly the same thing as the red flag in the online "KeyCite" service.

  1. In book shepardizing, an "o" indicates that the citing case overrules the holding of the cited case.

  1. The "parallel citation" system ensures that each case has one and only one possible citation.

5. Case reporters are arranged by the chronological order in which the cases were decided.

  1. In all appealed cases, the defendant becomes the appellant and the plaintiff becomes the appellee.

  1. If you see references to the Key system, you're most likely working with Westlaw related materials.

  1. Cases found with Google Scholar do not contain the same actual "law" as cases found with paid services.


This or that? Choose the better answer among the two choices



  1. Teleportation does not yet exist, yet (STATUTORY or JUDICIAL) law specifically banning it could go into effect tomorrow.

  1. New (STATUTORY or JUDICIAL) law was created when a decision about Android patents was reversed and explained by an appellate judge.

  1. In a (CIVIL or CRIMINAL) case, the judge instructed the jury to use a "preponderance of evidence" level standard in regards to proof.

  1. Rules about how to conduct trials that lawyers and judges need to know are collectively known as (SUBSTANTIVE or PROCEDURAL) laws.

  1. Because of "double jeopardy," ONLY the (PLAINTIFF or DEFENDANT) may later be the appellant in a subsequent criminal case.

  1. If a matter is not specifically addressed in (FEDERAL or STATE) law, it is *presumed* to be left up to the other.

  1. When a private citizen sues a corporation, this is a matter of (CIVIL or CRIMINAL) law.



Multiple Choice


  1. Assume the two parties have never encountered each other in court before. Which of the following is the most likely to be a criminal case?

  1. State of New York v. Bellic
  2. Beck v. West
  3. RIAA v. State of Wisconsin
  4. Jefferson v. Verizon

  1. You "shepardize" a case PRIMARILY to determine

  1. The history of cases that came before it.
  2. Whether it is presently good law.
  3. The process by which the judge reached her conclusions.
  4. If it concerns a statute.

  1. Technically, only one of the following can possibly be relied on as being "law." Which?

  1. The headnotes of a case
  2. The opinion of a judge written in her own words
  3. A list of related cases provided by Shepard's
  4. A West's Key entry

  1. Which of the following best describes what is missing from Google Scholar's case service versus Shepard's or Keycite?

  1. Citations for related cases that occurred prior to the present case
  2. Citations for related cases that occurred after the present case
  3. Indication as to whether or not a later case is still good law
  4. Indication as to whether or not the case may be found in a bound volume


Short Answer


Abigail Mills sues Katrina Crane in 2011. Everything in the case wraps up in 2013. You can find the case on page 223 in the Second Southern Reporter, Volume 399. Despite the fact that this case is completely fictional, please write its citation anyway.