Project
POL 462
Spring 2007

You are the U.S. Solicitor General and the Supreme Court has requested that you file an Amicus Curiae brief indicating the position of the United States Government and supporting that position in the cases of Davenport et al. v, Washington Educ. Ass'n (No. 05-1589) and Washington v. Washington Education Ass'n (No. 05-1657).  Since these cases were combined for oral argument, you need only file one brief supporting the Government's position in both these cases.

Prepare and file the Amicus of the United States Government in this case.

Your brief must conform to all the requirements of the Supreme Court’s Rules for formatting, printing, covers, and content of an Amicus Curiae Brief, as well as any specific requirements that govern a Brief submitted by the U.S. Solicitor's General Office.  That is, the Brief you submit must contain all the elements required of an Amicus Brief and it must conform to the Rules of the Court.  The Supreme Court's Rules are available, on-line, at the Supreme Court Website, and these must be consulted and followed.  You may petition the Clerk of the Court for a ruling on questions that require such rulings.  (N.B. The Clerk's office will NOT respond to any requests for clarifications or rules at 10:30 Tuesday, April 24, 2007.)  The following volume might be of significant assistance in the preparation of the Amicus Brief. 

Stern et al., Supreme Court Practice: For Practice in the Supreme Court of the United States, 8th ed. (Bureau of National Affairs, 2002).  [This volume is on reserve in the Hick's Undergraduate Library.  Note that the Rules printed in this volume have been changed by the Court since the publication of this volume.  That means the version of the Court Rules you should follow are only available on-line.]

N.B. This project may involve your discussing the case with one another.  Such discussions are encouraged.  However, the end result – the Brief for the United States – must be your own, individual work rather than some group product.  The students with whom you consult pr discuss the case, should be listed as Deputy Solicitors General on the cover of the brief.  You must list yourself as the "United States Solicitor General" on the Brief.

You are to submit two (2) printed and bound copies of the Brief arguing the Petitioner's position no later than Friday 27 April 2007 at the time that class would start – 10:30 AM.  The Briefs are to be submitted at the Instructor's Office.

The Grading Criteria and point distribution for evaluation the Project is attached here.