The Supreme Court issued four opinions in the last two weeks. Three of them are Per Curiam and one was authored by Justice Scalia. The first of these is Cavasos v. Smith (10-1115). It’s an unusual case involving the prosecution…
Posts Tagged ‘v smith’
How to Cite Controlling Law
09
Aug
| Jones v. Smith, 287 So.2d 145 (Fla. 4th DCA, 1998)
Do you want to win in court? You must learn citation rules! What are all those numbers? What do they mean? Does it seem complicated? It’s really simple. Simple, that is, once you see how we explain it for you. I’l tell you a few things today in this Tips & Tactics and leave the rest for you to learn with my affordable, official, 24-hour Jurisdictionary“How to Win in Court” step-by-step self-help course. The first part is easy, of course. The names of the parties are separated with a “v.” This means “versus” (as you already know), just as it will be Yankees v. Boston Red Sox in the 2011 World Series. Right? There may be other parties (more than just “Jones” and “Smith” in the fight) but a citation is still good if it names the prominent parties. Now, what about “287 So. 2d 543”? This is also simple (just like everything I explain in my affordable,official, 24-hour Jurisdictionary “How to Win in Court” step-by-step self-help course you should order today, if you haven’t already). The first number is the page where the “Jones v. Smith” written appellate court opinion appears. Tough? Not at all. It’s just a page number. Nothing more. See? It’s easy! And, “So.2d”? That’s just an abbreviation for a particular set of books known as “reporters” (i.e., books that “report” opinions of appellate court justices that control trial judges and their lower level decisions). In this example it stands for the “Second Edition” of the Southern Reporter. These contain written opinions of appellate courts in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. A complete set of the Southern Reporter, Second Edition will cost you around $14,566 but you don’t need to buy all those books once you know what I teach in my affordable, official, 24-hour Jurisdictionary “How to Win in Court” step-by-step self-help course. And that’s just the Second Edition. If your case were in one of these states (before the internet) you’d have to have access to the First and Third Editions. And, in addition (no pun intended) you’d need nearly $50,000 worth of National Reporters to have complete access to all federal cases, including U.S. Supreme Court cases, to be “in the know”. Ahhh. How sweet the internet, because today we have access to all of this for pennies … and it’s all searchable using Boolean operators(also explained in my course). Alright, what about “(Fla. 4th DCA, 1998)”? That’s even easier! The case is clearly in the appellate courts of Florida. It is from the Fourth District Court of Appeal (operating from West Palm Beach). The case was decided in 1998. See? I do know how to make this stuff easy! Right? Who said law is too hard for pro se people to learn? If someone said that to you, it’s probably because they just didn’t know that my course exists and is affordable! YOU WILL LOSE … if you don’t learn how to cite “legal authority” as explained clearly in my official step-by-step, 24-hour Jurisdictionary“How to Win in Court” course! The only opinions that count in court are the recorded opinions of appellate justices who stand in judgment over trial level judges and have power to reverse them if they disagree with the appellate courts’ decisions in any way! Your opinions of law count for nothing in court. You must know how to (1) find appellate court opinions that control your judge and (2) know how to properly cite those cases in the papers you file and the statements you make in open court. Show the judge the law so he knows the appellate court will reverse his decision if he rules against YOU! This is how smart pro se people win! |
