Semester: Spring 2023 (tentative) Fall 2022 Summer 2022 Spring 2022 Fall 2021 Summer 2021 Spring 2021 Fall 2020 Spring 2020 Fall 2019 Summer 2019 Spring 2019
Professional/Experiential Skills Courses First Year Courses Only

Criminal Procedure I (LAW-508-004)
Zachem

Notices

Description

COURSE MATERIALS. The required text for this class is Dressler & Thomas, Criminal Procedure: Investigating Crime 5th Edition (West 2012). (The softcover volume). Additionally, there will be supplementary materials that will be assigned throughout the semester. The supplementary materials will be posted on MyWCL or hard copies will be distributed in class. Among the important materials to be posted this semester are two 2013 decisions of the Supreme Court: Florida v. Jardines; Missouri v. McNeely. Also posted will be the 2014 decision of the Supreme Court in Riley v. California. Finally, you will find a 2014 decision by Judge Rosemary Collyer of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. All five of these cases are important reading, so be sure to check your syllabus and on-line resources regarding these cases.

ATTENDANCE. You are expected to be familiar with all University academic rules regarding attendance and adhere to them barring unforeseen circumstances. I will take attendance in each class. If, however, you are unable to attend class or were absent with a reasonable excuse, just let me know by sending an email to me at the address above. I reserve the right, in any case of unreasonable and excessive absences, to consider imposition of sanctions consistent with the University’s academic rules. Please do not put me (and you) in the position of even remotely considering imposition of any such sanctions.

MID-TERM QUIZ OR QUIZZES. I intend to provide you the opportunity, if you choose, to take a voluntary take-home open book quiz during the course of the semester. This quiz will not be graded and, indeed, it is not required. It is only intended to provide you an opportunity to test your comprehension of the material covered to that date and allow me to provide you with substantive feedback.

FINAL EXAMINATION. The final examination will be a 3.0 to 3.5 hour, in-class, closed book test. As the semester progresses, we will discuss the precise format of the examination. You should expect, however, that the examination will be a combination of essay, short answer and multiple choice questions.

GRADING. Your final grade will be determined principally by your performance on the final examination. Classroom participation, however, can positively impact your final grade. I strongly encourage you to volunteer and participate in class. There is absolutely no such thing as a stupid comment or question and your participation can only help you. I reserve the right to adjust grades either up or down based upon the level of your classroom preparation and participation.

CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION & PREPAREDNESS. As noted above, classroom participation may be a factor in your final grade. I am hopeful, however, that even without that incentive our class sessions will be a vibrant dialogue. Thus, I am equally hopeful that everyone will come to the class prepared and able to engage in a discussion of the assigned material. I recognize, however, that law school is not the totality of your life (at least I hope not). If you have not been able to prepare for class, please be sure to still attend, but e-mail me sufficiently in advance of class and let me know that you are unprepared for that day’s discussion. In such cases, I will abstain from calling on you. (Of course, you might reasonably expect that I will call on you the following class).

WCL COMPUTER NETWORK. I am hopeful that I will master use of the WCL computer network. (As of this writing, my daughter has very, very serious doubts). If so, please utilize the network for announcements, reminders and supplementary materials.

SYLLABUS. A complete syllabus setting forth the topics and materials that we will cover throughout the semester will be distributed with this announcement. The syllabus is intended as a roadmap of the sequence of topics that we will be covering during the course of the semester. I will try to adhere to the sequence and the pace of the materials set forth in the syllabus as we progress through the term. If, however, we need to spend additional time on a specific topic, we will certainly do that and adjust as we go.

LAPTOPS. The use of a laptop computer in class for note taking is permitted. Please do not abuse this privilege by surfing the net, checking out face book or downloading Pit-Bull’s latest recording from I-Tunes. If I get the sense that such activities are going on, I reserve the right to ban laptops from the classroom.

OFFICE HOURS. As an adjunct professor, I will secure office space to be determined. I will hold formal “office hours” by appointment. If you wish to contact me to set up an appointment, or for any other matter, feel free to contact me via email at dzachem@comcast.net.

BRIEF BIORAPHY. I am a 1980 graduate of the George Washington University with a degree in political science and a 1985 graduate of the Catholic University law school. After graduation, I clerked at both the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Thereafter, I worked for 22 years as an Assistant United States Attorney here in Washington. The last ten years of my career were spent as a supervisor in the Homicide Section. I have had many jury trials in both Federal District Court and the Superior Court for the District of Columbia and have argued numerous appeals in both courthouses. I am very, very excited to now have a second career in education. In addition to the WCL, I am presently teaching at the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America. I have previously taught Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure-Investigative Process, Criminal Procedure-Post Investigative Process and Advanced Criminal Procedure-Anatomy of a Homicide. I was named the 2012-2013 Evening Professor of the Year at Catholic University.

Textbooks and Other Materials

The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.

Criminal Procedure: Investigating Crime (Casebook) Author: Dressler Publisher:West-Thomson Reuters 5th Edition-REQUIRED (ISBN: 9780314279514)

First Class Readings

Class # 1; August 25, 2015

(A) Stories of Scottsboro, Pgs. 18-22; Norms of the Criminal Process, Pgs. 34-44.

(B) Newspaper Articles (posted on WCL Website)

(i) The Southeast Washington Drive-by Shootings, Part One.

(ii) The Southeast Washington Drive-by Shootings, Part Two.

(iii) Mayor Fenty Booed on Delayed Arrival at Scene of Fatal Shootings.

(iv) D.C. Police, Prosecutors Disagree on Handling of Shooting Suspect.

(C) Administrative Matters. See “Course Description” posted on WCL Website.

Syllabus

Use your MyAU username and password to access the syllabus in the following format(s):

• Microsoft Word 2007 (DOCX)