This Week in the Law Library ... March 31, 2025

This week in the Law Library we're teaching Advanced Legal Research and how to create assignments with AI, highlighting resources on oral advocacy, celebrating Arab American and Scottish American Heritage Month, raising awareness about sexual assault, and previewing Ohio Supreme Court and United States Supreme Court oral arguments.

Monday, March 31, 2025

Advanced Legal Research: Transactional
Instructional & Reference Services Librarian Laura Dixon-Caldwell
Room 135
9:00am – 9:55am

Advanced Legal Research: Ohio
Associate Director Susan Boland
Room 135
10:05am – 10:55am

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Technology Tuesday
Research Instructional Services Librarian Shannon Kemen
Designing Assignments with AI
Daniel Dale, Ph.D, Assistant Director, of the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning will join us to discuss how to get started using AI and how AI tools can help with designing or redesigning assignments. 
Zoom
12:15pm – 1:15pm

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Advanced Legal Research: Fiction and Fact
Research Instructional Services Librarian Shannon Kemen
Room 107
10:05am – 11:00am

Featured Study Aids

Successfully Competing in US Moot Court Competitions

Available via the West Academic study aid subscription, this study is designed to help students prepare for team selection competitions as well as those who will be competing at U.S. moot court competitions. It includes advice on a range of issues – from selecting a partner to keeping the competition in perspective after it is over. It includes advice based on interviews with successful moot court coaches from several law schools.

Mastering Appellate Advocacy and Process

Available via the LexisNexis Digital Library study aid subscription, this book covers the range of appellate procedures in use across the United States, from preserving error below and on appeal, filing the notice of appeal, compiling the record, as well as appealable orders and judgments, proper parties on appeal, and appellate jurisdiction. The book also covers legal analysis, drafting, and advocacy techniques used in preparing appellate briefs, as well as oral advocacy techniques in a discussion that is useful to novices and old hands. Written for practicing lawyers as well as students, the book also includes a chapter devoted to that particular law school exercise known as moot court, identifying how typical moot court competitions are like, and unlike, real world appellate practice. The authors delve into technical waters while maintaining an accessible tone and structure, taking nothing for granted in terms of pre-existing knowledge or experience in the appellate field.

Finding Your Voice in Law School

Available via the LexisNexis Digital Library study aid subscription, this text offers a step-by-step guide to the most difficult tests you will confront as a law student, from making a speech in front of a room full of lawyers to arguing before a judge and jury. From preparing effectively for class, to succeeding in mock trial and moot court, to making persuasive presentations, to shining at job interviews, Finding Your provides step-by-step guidance on how to be a better speaker (and, in turn, a better student) in a whole range of contexts.

Featured Guide

Oral Advocacy

This guide describes resources that can help you for Moot Court, Appellate Advocacy, and other activities and groups on oral advocacy.

Featured Treatise

Art of Advocacy – Appeals

Available on Lexis, this text contains step-by-step practical analysis of written and oral arguments, with expert advice on preparation and presentation. Included are sample written briefs and oral arguments in products liability cases, medical malpractice cases, and wrongful death actions. Arguments are compared, do’s and don’ts are highlighted, and checklists are provided.

Featured Video

Art of Appellate Advocacy: Tips for Oral Arguments

Judges from the Virginia Supreme Court discuss oral arguments.

Featured Website

Court Listener Advanced Oral Argument Search​

The oral argument audio in CourtListener has been collected from court websites by Free Law Project, a non-profit devoted to high-quality legal data. They began collecting these oral arguments after hearing that many courts were simply deleting them, claiming that they were too expensive to keep. They collect oral argument audio from the Supreme Court and all of the Federal Circuit courts that provide it. On the state side, they are slowly adding support for additional courts.

Oral Argument Help

As you get ready for oral arguments in your Advocacy class, be sure and check out the resources on our Oral Advocacy Guide, in our Oral Advocacy display, and in our previous featured resources!

Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month

About National Arab American Heritage Month

April is National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) and celebrates the heritage, culture, and contributions of Arab Americans. Immigrants with origins from the Arab world have been arriving to the United States since before our country’s independence and have contributed to our nation’s advancements in science, business, technology, foreign policy, and national security. The Arab American Foundation and Arab America initiated the National Arab American Heritage Month in 2017. States and other organizations began recognizing April as National Arab American Heritage Month and last year President Biden issued an official proclamation.

The Arab American Institute estimates there are 3.7 million Arab Americans. Arab Americans are found in every state, but “[n]early 75% of all Arab Americans live in just twelve states: California, Michigan, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Minnesota, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania …”

About Scottish-American Heritage Month

April is also Scottish-American Heritage Month, celebrating the contributions of the Scottish-Americans who have had an impact on U.S. society. Tartan Day is observed on April 6th to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. This document was Scotland's Declaration of Independence. 

April is also Sexual Assault Awareness month.  

Resources

• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
• National Sexual Assault Online Chat Hotline
• 24-Hour Women Helping Women on-campus advocate helpline: 513-381-5610
• Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) – 24-hour hotline: 513-556-0648
• University Health Services: 513-556-2564

US Supreme Court by Jarek Tuszyński CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

From SCOTUS Blog:

Monday, March 31, 2025

Cath. Charities Bureau v. Wis. Lab. & Indus. Rev. Comm'n - whether a state violates the First Amendment’s religion clauses by denying a religious organization an otherwise-available tax exemption because the organization does not meet the state’s criteria for religious behavior.

Rivers v. Guerrero - whether 28 U.S.C. § 2244(b)(2) applies only to habeas filings made after a prisoner has exhausted appellate review of his first petition, to all second-in-time habeas filings after final judgment, or to some second-in-time filings — depending on a prisoner’s success on appeal or ability to satisfy a seven-factor test.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Org. - whether the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act violates the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Medina v. Planned Parenthood S. Atl. - whether the Medicaid Act’s any-qualified-provider provision unambiguously confers a private right upon a Medicaid beneficiary to choose a specific provider. 

You can view the live stream of oral arguments on the Court’s website or see them after the arguments take place in the Ohio Channel archives.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

VVF Intervest LLC v. Harris - (1) whether a company is obligated to pay Ohio commercial activity tax on goods transported to Ohio and then ultimately transported to customers outside Ohio if the out-of-state transfer isn’t specified in sales documentation; and (2) whether a company must have proof at the time of sale that its products will be transported to Ohio temporarily and then distributed out of state to avoid paying commercial activity tax. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

E.A.K.M. v. M.A.M. - (1) whether an order to pay guardian ad litem fees is a final appealable order without an accompanying final decision as to custody in the matter; and (2) whether a trial court retains jurisdiction to order payment of guardian ad litem fees following a dismissal. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. [T.W.C.] - (1) whether the entry of a financial sanction of restitution as a civil judgment under Ohio Rev. Code sec. 2929.18 obviates the underlying criminal financial sanction and if so, does the "final discharge" requirement in  Ohio Rev. Code sec. 2953.32 necessitate payment of restitution when ordered as a "civil judgment;" and (2) whether the law requires the payment of restitution in order to achieve a final discharge for purposes of Ohio Rev. Code sec. 2953.32 even when a victim has not pursued civil collection remedies. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

U.S. Acute Care Sol. LLC v. The Drs. Co. Risk Retention Grp. Ins. Co. - whether the insurance policy arbitration provision, which applied to “any dispute between” the parties, could include a complaint of bad-faith handling of an insurance claim. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Bostick - whether a trial court must conduct an evidentiary hearing prior to ruling on a motion for new trial when evidence that the defendant was not the perpetrator of the crime was withheld from the defense and not discovered until after conviction, and where the exculpatory value of the evidence is dependent upon its credibility. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Rogers - (1) whether a general confirmation from a group of prospective jurors that they will apply the law rehabilitates or otherwise dispels a particular prospective juror’s expressions of partiality; and (2) whether a prospective juror must individually affirm that he or she can be impartial to be seated on the jury in order to be rehabilitated after an expression of partiality. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

In re Application of the Dayton Power & Light Co. -  (1) whether the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) acted unreasonably and unlawfully when it didn’t require an electric utility to return “significantly excessive earnings” to customers; (2) whether PUCO abused its discretion when it approved a settlement that allowed continued charges on customers for rate stabilization; and (3) whether the PUCO approval of the rate stabilization charge unlawful because it violates Ohio Rev. Code sec. 4928.143 and is contrary to Ohio Supreme Court precedent. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Posted Mar. 31, 2025 by Susan Boland

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