News & Events

Justice Alito’s dissent in Alleyne v. United States relies on a 2004 essay by Professor Rory Little.

And here's the rub: On his blog, Hunter wrote about his own cases in some detail. He used the real names of clients who were acquitted, and the names of clients for whom he negotiated favorable plea bargains to lesser charges. And he acknowledged that he used the names without his clients' consent.

Our hearts weep for the many victims of Ramirez's cruelty, and that of other perpetrators of vicious crimes. Let us punish these people properly, soundly and economically, by sentencing them to life without parole, and give up on the hollow hopes of a death penalty that is anything but.

No matter how many briefs one has written, the next one can probably be improved because the craft of brief writing is a search for perfection. But unlike perfection, if a few basic strategies are followed, more effective briefs are easily within reach.

Tell the truth — lay out all of the facts, and all of the law — but tell it slant. Be artful in word choice, for every detail counts. Consider at the outset even small choices like what to name the parties — are they plaintiff and defendant, victim and prisoner, or Mr. Smith and Officer Jones? Judiciously use the passive voice to subtly downplay the negative, while preferring active voice generally, and especially in order to accentuate the positive.