Agenda Packets - 1987/06/01 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Legal Center staff reviews all cases that the Supreme Court has decided to hear for issues that affect state or local governments... A written analysis is prepared whenever, in the judgment of the staff, the case warrants consideration by the Legal Task Force, or whenever any trustee organization requests that a case be considered. Cases are also brought to the atten- tion of the Legal Center by a state or local government attorney asking the Court to accept a case for review. When the Legal Task Force selects a case for Leqal Center participation, the staff works closely with the attorney repre- senting the state, city, or county that is a party to the case. One of the Legal Center's primary goals is to help attorneys representing state or local governments make the best possible case to the Supreme Court. 10. How does the_Legal Center help an attorney representing a city, a county, or i state? The Legal Center offers direct assistance to the attorneys in the form of substantive or a ctoria sugges[ions on their briefs and arquments. In addition, in working with local government attorneys, the Legal Center lends video tapes developed for training on Supreme Court briefing and arqument prepared in cooperation with NAAG (with funding by the U.S. Department of Justice). The Legal Center sponsors moot courts in which experienced Supreme Court lawyers act as judges in rehearsal of (- oral arquments. NAAG provides the tapes and moot courts for the Attorneys General and their staffs and N1MLO also offers a moot court program to its members. The Leqal Center offers indirect assistance by filinq amicus briefs in 20 to 25 cases a Term; t e Legal Center staff works closely with the attorneys in developing and drafting amicus briefs. in fact, state, city, and county party briefs frequently refer to the Legal Center amicus briefs in cases as a way of supplementinq arquments in their own party briefs. The Legal Center has sponsored publication of in-depth scho- larly analyses of stato/federal constitutional issues.3/ Most recently, the Legal Center sponsored an issue of the Urban Lawyer (the publication of the American Dar Association Section on Urban, State and Local Government Law) dealing entirely with federalism questions. Distinguished legal scholars contributed the articles for this publication. The Legal Center has also, in conjunction with the National Association of Attorneys General, organized and conducted tr.aininq conferences on Supreme Court advocacy for state and local government attorneys. 3/ Copies of the publications are available on request. -6-