Discovery In A Court Case

In this practice activity, you will identify the role discovery plays in a court case. You will also explain how discovery affects discretionary decisions and describe how discovery influences proper documentation.

Prompt
In this module, you have learned about the process of discovery. You will now apply this knowledge to research a court case and describe the discovery process, explain how discovery affected discretionary decisions, and describe how discovery influenced proper documentation. First, read two court cases regarding discovery:

Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963)
Giles v. Maryland, 386 U.S. 66 (1967)
Next, research a court case in which discovery was a main factor of the case. A great place to start your research is the U.S. Law & Legislature webpage from the Justice Studies research guide in the Shapiro Library. Be sure to cite the case in APA style. In 100–150 words, identify the role discovery played in the case. For example, did the prosecution fail to disclose evidence, or was there egregious discovery conduct and destruction of evidence?

Then, in 100–150 words, explain how discovery affected discretionary decisions in the case. Did discovery affect discretionary decisions made by important stakeholders, such as the judge, counsel, or jury?

Last, in 100–150 words, describe how discovery in the case influenced proper documentation. Remember to keep in mind that documentation may include anything from photographic evidence to police reports or court documents.

Specifically, the following rubric criteria must be addressed:

Identify the role discovery played
Explain how discovery affected discretionary decisions
Describe how discovery influenced proper documentation