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I designed this casebook for my students at Harvard Law School while we were all learning remotely. It is, however, appropriate for students at many levels and in many educational institutions. The 2023-24 edition contains a full criminal procedure syllabus, plus bonus videos about other key areas of constitutional law. Future editions will include more subject-matter areas and offer access to more educational institutions.
Each case module contains a video about a key Supreme Court case; a marked-up/annotated PDF version of that Supreme Court decision; and additional materials regarding that area of law, including law review articles, newspaper articles, and/or public legal documents.
Each video is a stand-alone introduction to a seminal Supreme Court decision and to that area of case law. The videos can be used to replace or supplement the standard casebook treatment. Each video is approximately 15 minutes long.
Unlike a traditional casebook, this curriculum is not a comprehensive survey of the caselaw. Rather, it is a handpicked selection of especially illuminating or influential Supreme Court cases, each of which provides insight into a broad area of constitutional law.
Students report that the videos help them master individual cases, better absorb the implications of the materials, and generally improve their ability to read and analyze Supreme Court decisions. The videos employ an array of audio, visual, and textual tools to reach all kinds of learners.
Professors in a variety of law schools use CRBW in different ways. Some assign all of the videos to all their students, while others use them selectively, or simply make them available as optional study resources. Others use them as in-class discussion tools.
Assign some or all of the 24 videos to accompany or replace your casebook’s treatment of those particular cases. Because each video connects its case to key features of the doctrine, it can help students understand the broader doctrinal area.
No video is more than approximately 15 minutes long. They can be screened in class as a way of grounding and stimulating discussion.
Provide student access to the videos as optional review materials. Students can watch them to navigate particular cases or doctrines that they find especially dense or difficult.
Newer professors have told us that the videos can be helpful templates for developing new teaching materials and approaches.
