Agenda Packets - 1987/06/01 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Each month, the Legal Center publishes its newsletter, COURT REPORT, to help state, city, and county officials keep informed about developments in the Supreme Court that may affect them. 11. What is the Legal Center's moot courr t program? The moot: court is a rehearsal of a Supreme Court argument before a panel of "justices" who are familiar with the issues in the case and with the techniques of appellate argument. Many highly experienced Supreme Court advocates invariably participate in moot courts before argument. For an attorney making a first appearance before the Court. -- as most state and local government attorneys are -- a moot court is essential. The Legal. Center moot court program is designed to help a government attorney prepare the best possible argument to present to the Court. (NAAG provides the moot court program for Attor- neys General and their staffs, and NIMLO offers a moot court program for its members.) State and loca'1 attorneys frequently face formidable opponents, like the Solicitor General of the United States or an attorney from a large law firm with extensive Supreme Court experience; many state and local government attor- neys find a mont. court the best preparation for the oral argument itself. The Legal Center provides videotapes on Supreme Court advo- cacy to the attorney. One or more moot court sessions are then scheduled for the attorney, if possible at a time when they can also watch arguments before the. Court. The Legal Center and NAAG work cooperatively in finding moot court panelists and in sche- dulinq the moot courts. Attorneys to date have been unanimously appreciative of the moot court sessions and typically say, after the actual Supreme Court argument, "I wasn't. asked a question that I hadn't heard before." 12. What is an amicus brief, and why are they filed? An amiCus Curiae_ (or friend of the court) brief is filed by a person nr orcjaniaation who is not a party in the case, but is vitally int.e.rested in its outcome because of the potential effect of the decision. The Solicitor General of the United States is the most: active amicars before the Supreme Court, sometimes on the Solicitor's own ti-11ative and sometimes at the request of the Court in cases in which the Justices think it important to have the views of. the United States Government. Amicus briefs are also filed frequently by the American Civil Dies Union and other organizalions inclurlinq business groups and professional associal.ions. -7-