Assignment: Laws, The Courts, and Evidence
For this assignment, you will learn the basics of the United States and South Carolina legal and court systems. You will also research one court case at each of the federal and state levels. Finally, you will be able to explain why adherence to the Daubert Standard is critically important when conducting a forensic investigation.
Background Material
Research Resources
- South Carolina Judicial Branch
- Westlaw Campus Research - CCU Login Required
Requirements
Prepare a video presentation that addresses the following:
- Explain why law in the United States isn’t limited to the statutes passed by legislatures.
- Give an example of a common law crime in South Carolina. (A common law crime is something for which a person can be fined or sent to prison, but which isn’t written down in the South Carolina Code of Laws.)
- Find and research a federal court case that was ultimately heard by the United States Supreme Court. Indicate how the case progressed through the district and appellate courts along the way.
- Research a state court case that was ultimately heard by the South Carolina Supreme Court. Indicate how the case progressed through the court system. Note that records from courts below the South Carolina Court of Appeals might not contain a lot of detail. Reading the Court of Appeals opinion will likely give some insight into what happened in the lower court(s).
- Define the Daubert Standard and explain why it is important for a digital forensic investigator to adhere to this standard.
If you elect to work with a partner, you should each present for approximately equal time.
Be sure to include the URLs to your portfolio (or both portfolios, if working with a partner) in the presentation.
Portfolio Items
Add the following components to your portfolio:
- A diagram showing the relative organization of federal courts in the United States.
- A summary of how you researched a federal court case, including the steps you took to find the case and its details.
- A brief definition of the Daubert Standard and why it is critical for a forensic investigator to follow that standard.
Submission
Submit your presentation video to one of the weekly submission boxes for the course. If you’re working with a partner, only one person needs to submit the video.
