Write a Case Brief of the U.S. Supreme Court case, Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project following the IRAC format.
Follow the “IRAC” method in briefing cases:
Facts: Write a brief summary of the facts as the court found them. Eliminate facts that are not relevant to the court’s analysis.
Procedural History: What court authored the opinion? The United States Supreme Court? The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals? If an appellate court issued the decision, how did the lower courts decide the case?
Issue: What is the question to be decided on by the court? Usually, only 1 issue will be discussed, but sometimes there will be more. What are the parties fighting about, and what are they asking the court to decide?
Rule(s): Determine what the relevant rules of law are that the court uses to make its decision. These rules will be identified and discussed by the court. What rule must the court apply to the facts to determine the outcome?
Application/Analysis: This may be the most important portion of the brief. The court will have examined the facts in light of the rule, and should consider all “sides” and arguments presented to it. How courts apply the rule to the facts and analyze the case must be understood in order to properly predict outcomes in future cases involving the same issue.
Resist the temptation to merely repeat what the court said in analyzing the facts; what does it mean to you? Summarize the court’s rationale in your own words.
Conclusion: What was the final outcome of the case? In 1–2 sentences, state the court’s ultimate finding. At the end of your brief, detail if you agree with the court’s holding or not and why.