1. During this Module on Cases and Courts, I would like each student to conduct

1. During this Module on Cases and Courts, I would like each student to conduct a brief independent study of your local and state courts (Montgomery County, Maryland), and pull together your notes into an informal paper. The product can be in outline form or bullet points of information. Some questions for you to answer in this study: What is the highest court in my home state and where is it located? How many judges sit on the bench in the highest court, and what is the name of the Chief Judge? Is there an intermediate court of appeals below the highest court? Where would you find trial courts of general jurisdiction in your county or state? How about small claims courts in your jurisdiction? Give me run down of the state court structure, top to bottom. You can research this information on the internet, of course, but it would be more interesting if you could interview a practicing lawyer or judge and distill some of your notes. Find a local law firm and inquire if you can speak to an attorney who is a litigator. Call a courthouse and see if you can talk with a judge’s clerk or the judge for 10 minutes for a school project and ask them how their court works: who do they see in their court, what sort of cases do they hear, do they hear criminal as well as civil cases, etc.? If another member of our class is from the same state, you may team up for this project. Also, please locate your local Federal District Court and tell me about it: how many judges; the name of the Chief Judge; where it is located; what Federal circuit is it in; and if there are more than a single federal district in your state. Your submission is due at 2pm on Monday, November 1, 2021 so we can discuss your findings in class.