Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components that are more easily absorbed into a blood stream, for instance. Digestion is a form of catabolism: a breakdown of large food molecules to smaller ones. -Wikipedia
When we talk about digestion, digesting, digest, what comes to mind?
Food? Science? Reader’s Digest?
Well, case digests are a huge part of life in law school. No student ever graduates from law school without at least digesting one case. Um wait, uh except maybe if you’re some kind of a scavenger, I hope not.
Format of the Case Digest
I. Facts. There is no need to include all the facts. Just include those that are relevant to the subject.
II. Issues. Include only those that are relevant. Issues are usually framed in the form of questions that are answerable by "yes" or "no," for example, "Is the contract void?" Sometimes, students frame the question by starting it with the word "whether," for example, "Whether the contract is void" or "Whether or not the contract is void." The answer to the question has to be answered in the ruling.
III. Ruling. This usually starts with a "yes" or a "no." This is the answer to the question/s involving the issue. After the categorical yes/no answer, the reason for the decision will be explained.
Here’s my realization, the point of making law students make a case digest is to let that student himself/herself breakdown the long boring case into a smaller component more easily absorbed by the student. To make the long case with lots of distracting details into something more direct to the point of the law, depending on which subject one is asked to make a digest. There’s no sense in chewing the food for others to eat. (gross!) However, if you do decide to just borrow somebody’s digested cases (eat the food chewed on by another), just make sure that you have at least read the full text of the case first. Otherwise, the whole point of making law students digest a case would just be an epic fail.
