judicial essays pdf

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7 How Judges Make Law

• Published: March 2020
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Unlike statute law, case law is not ordinarily made through actions designed to make law. The central purpose of a court is resolution; the court achieves it by giving judgment in a particular case. For judges to make law well, it is enough if they do well at their primary task of giving a ruling in the case. They make law incidentally because of the effect the law gives to their rulings. That feature of case law, along with its open-endedness and revisability, seems to support the view that it is not law at all, or that if it is law, law must be something that springs from the imagination of the judge. This chapter explains why these aspects of judicial law-making accord with the view that case law, like statute law, is a set of rules made valid by their sources in past decisions.

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Legal Writing

• Choosing a Scholarly Paper Topic
• Conducting a Preemption Check
• Evaluating Information
• Keeping Current
• Publishing Your Scholarly Writing
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Legal Citation & the Bluebook
• Persuasive Legal Writing
• Transactional Legal Writing
• Litigation Focused Writing
• Legislative Drafting

Drafting Guidance

Citation guides.

• ADR Drafting

Opinion Writing   (Ruggero J. Aldisert, 2012) Opinion Writing, written by a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ,  is geared toward appellate court opinion writing. The book is broken into four parts: (1) theoretical concepts underlying a judicial opinion; (2) the anatomy of an opinion; (3) writing style; and (4) opinion writing checklists. The checklists are particularly useful and designed to be photocopied so the writer can have a copy at their side as their writing progresses.

Judicial Opinion Writing Handbook  (Joyce J. George, 2007) This handbook provides exposure to a number of methods, styles, and techniques for opinion writing. It addresses the different writing tasks of the trial judge and the appellate judge and has sections on effective writing, word usage, and style, plus helpful writing exercises.

Point Taken: How to Write Like the World's Best Judges (Ross Guberman, 2015) This book delves into the work of some the best judicial opinion-writers and offers a step-by-step method for judicial opinion writing based on practical examples. This title is also available as an ebook (available on campus or remotely with ASURITE).

Judicial Writing Manual: A Pocket Guide for Judges  (Federal Judicial Center, 2013) This manual for judges and law clerks on good writing "distills the experience and reflects the views of a group of experienced judges, vetted by a distinguished board of editors." It takes a functional approach to opinion writing and describes the considerations that arise at each stage of the writing and editing process.

Ruth C. Vance,  Judicial Opinion Writing: An Annotated Bibliography , 17 Legal Writing 197 (2011) "This Bibliography seeks to supply legal writing professors, students, judicial law clerks, and judges with a list of resources that will be helpful for both opinion writing and for those preparing to work with or write for judges." Each entry includes a detailed annotation with information on the resource's content.

Jennifer Sheppard,  The "Write" Way: A Judicial Clerk's Guide to Writing for the Court ,  38 U. Balt. L. Rev. 73 (2008) This article examines the types of documents that judicial clerks most frequently are asked to draft - opinions, bench memoranda, jury instructions, and orders. The author identifies the purpose and goals of each of these types of documents and provides advice on drafting them.

S. I. Strong, Writing Reasoned Decisions and Opinions: A Guide for Novice, Experienced, and Foreign Judges , 2015 J. Disp. Resol. (2015) This article provides a structured and content-based method of writing fully reasoned decisions and opinions. 

Gerald Lebovits and Lucero Ramirez Hidalgo,  Advice to Law Clerks: How to Draft Your First Official Opinion , 36 Westchester Bar Journal 29 (2009) This article offers ideas on how to better understand the underlying case, discusses the drafting process, offers advice on reviewing and editing a draft piece of writing, and gives tips on dos and don'ts in opinion writing.

Gerald Lebovits et al.,  Ethical Judicial Opinion Writing , 21 Geo. J. Legal Ethics (2008) This article strives to show how form and substance in legal opinion writing must be accompanied by ethical considerations.

ALWD Guide to Legal Citation  (Carolyn V. Williams, 2021) This resource from a legal writing professor and the Association of Legal Writing Directors, an association of legal writing instructors, focuses its attention on legal citation for legal practice, codifying the most common legal citation rules. It also notes differences in the rules of academic citation, with clear visual signals to prevent confusion. It includes guidelines for citing sources not specifically addressed in the rules.

The Bluebook Uncovered  (Dionne E. Anthon, 2020) Perfect for law students preparing for the All-Journal Write-on Exam or anyone trying to improve their citation sentences and footnotes, this slim volume features a practical rearrangement of  Bluebook  topics in descending importance.

Legal Citation in a Nutshell  (Larry L. Teply, 2021) Highlighting the key issues of legal citation and the differences between  Bluebook  and  ALWD  conventions of legal citation, either of which writers might apply depending in different jurisdictions.

Understanding and Mastering  The Bluebook  (Linda J. Barris, 2020) This instruction manual for using the  Bluebook  lays out the basic rules of legal citation. It does not focus attention on the many exceptions to  Bluebook  rules or less common rules. It helps readers cite to cases, statutes, constitutions, regulations, procedural and court rules, secondary sources, and litigation documents. 

User's Guide to  The Bluebook  (Alan L. Dworsky, 2021) This pamphlet, revised for the 21st Edition of  The Bluebook , provides plain language interpretations of citation rules for practitioners (from the Bluepages) such as when and when not to underline words. It provides a brief overview of the rules in general, and goes into depth on commonly cited documents such as cases and statutes.

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• Last Updated: Dec 28, 2023 1:45 PM
• URL: https://libguides.law.asu.edu/legalwriting

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50 Most Expected Essay Topics for Judiciary Exams 2023

Author : Tanya Kaushal

Updated On : November 16, 2023

Reader's Digest -   Passing the Civil Judge test might be challenging without excelling in the essay writing component. Hence, essay writing bahut zaruri hai ! Read the top 50 most important essay topics for judiciary exams. Know the hot law-related judiciary essay topics of 2023! 

Why should you focus on Essay writing? This might be the go-to question for all of you. Essay writing questions assess your competence to judge, analyze, and write about the subject asked in the Judicial Services Examination.

Mastering the art of essay writing is essential for success in the judiciary exams. The essay writing section is crucial in the judiciary exam and carries significant weight. This article will discuss some important essay topics you should be prepared for, along with tips and strategies to help you write effective essays.

The Essay Paper is among the most scoring papers in the Judiciary Exams. It is low-hanging fruit that every candidate must opt for.

For instance, in MP Paper 2, candidates face the challenge of demonstrating their court practice, writing skills, and awareness of current legal issues. Furthermore, the essay component carries significant scoring weight, with 20 marks allocated for writing on social and legal issues.

Similarly, in RJS Mains Paper 4 Language Paper 2, you must showcase your English essay writing skills. Moreover, in Bihar Judiciary Syllabus 2023 for General English, you are tested on your comprehension and writing abilities through passages or summaries.

So, whether it's analyzing social issues, addressing legal topics, or exhibiting language proficiency, mastering the art of essay writing is crucial to excelling in judiciary exams. Prepare to sharpen your writing skills and delve into the 50 most expected essay topics for Judiciary Exams 2023!

Download FREE Study Material for Judiciary Exams by Judiciary Gold

Most Important Essay Topics for Judiciary Exams 2023

Essays are the most scoring among all the papers of the judiciary exams. However, the judiciary aspirants ignore it. The majority have the attitude, 'ab essay bhi padhna padega'. So, let us clear the air of doubt regarding the essay.

Writing an essay on legal topics for a judicial exam becomes more challenging since research and sufficient legal understanding are required. In such scenarios, practice is the only key to writing a good essay in the Upcoming Judiciary Exams .

Make the essay writing a fun session. Write down each topic on the paper cit and pick a new topic, aka chit every alternative day from the list of most important essay topics for Judiciary Exams. Practice as many questions as possible from the previous year's papers; this will help improve your vocabulary and time management skills. 

The following are some of the most critical essay topics for a judiciary or current essay topics in 2023 for Judiciary exams that you need to focus on to score well in essay writing:

Apart from the above-mentioned topics, here are more topics for your reference:

•   Lawyers' Role in Speedy Justice-delivery
• Capital Punishment
• Human Rights in India 
• Empowering a woman empowers the next generations.
• Marriage - an institution of great social relevance
• Farmers' stir - more than a loan waiver
• The drug, drinking and driving never go together
• Cyberbullying - more extreme than face-to-face taunts
• Global warming is warning us through sea level rising and ice caps melting
• With value education, build the pillars of character
• Lawyers' Role in Speedy Justice-delivery
• Apolitical Education
• Skilling the youth of India
• Education is a weapon that can change the world
• Right to education - challenges and prospects
• The dark disparity gap between rich and poor
• Why is the administration insensitive to the plight of slum dwellers
• Environment vs Growth
• Is communalism a challenge to peace or propagation of religion or something else
• Right to privacy
• Young Indian's preferences from job search to job creation
• Should educational qualifications be made mandatory for politicians
• Reservations and Human Development in India
• Beto Bachao - Beti Padhao, India ko aage badhao
• India & China, from rivalry to enmity
• How the internet changed the way we live
• Cybernation - a threat or a convivial to employment
• Be the change you want to see in others
• Justice delayed Justice denied

Previous Year's Essays Topics in Judiciary Exams 

Here is the table of the essay topics that were asked in the previous year's PCS J Exams:

50 Most Expected Essay Topics for Upcoming Judiciary Exams 2023

Essays can increase your score and improve your final rank with little effort and the proper technique. The judiciary aspirants run from North to South and East to West to search for the most expected essay topics for judiciary exams.

Our experts have curated 50 essay topics for judiciary exams from the most trending topics of National and international importance. Practice just one topic every alternative day. This way, you will cover three weekly topics, totalling almost 50, for four months. 

The following list entails the fifty most important essay topics for PCS J exams. Prepare these topics well in advance to excel in the Essay section of the Judicial Services Exam:

• Role of courts/courts during a pandemic
• Violence against women
• Child rights during lockdown
• Digitalisation of education
• Right to digital education
• Vaccination Policy of India
• Contempt of court
• Power of court to order relief for covid affected patients
• Labourer's/daily wage workers' rights
• Women's Rights during lockdown
• Hate speech
• Organizing mass gatherings during a pandemic
• Essential services during lockdown
• Restriction of rights of citizens during pandemic/lockdown
• Freedom of religion vis a vis pandemic
• Role of social media in the Pandemic
• Growing unemployment
• Medical infrastructure of the country
• Participation of the Judiciary in Politics
• Mental health
• Freedom of speech and expression
• Freedom of movement
• Sustainable environment
• Growing intolerance
• Social and legal ramifications of CAA/UAPA
• Right to protest
• Rights of the LGBTQIA+ community
• Too much democracy
• Atmanirbhar Bharat
• Terrorism (talibanism)
• Problem of malnutrition
• New India - Why Still A Union Territory?
• Debate on nationalism
• Pollution crises
• Article 370
• Water disputes between states
• Fugitive economic offender bill
• Labour Reform
• White collar crime
• Women Empowerment
• Triple Talaq
• Cyberbullying
• Global Warming
• Right to Education
• Gender disparity in the social sector
• Justice delayed justice denied
• Protection of Child Rights in India
• Social Justice in Indian Democracy
• Alternate Dispute Redressal (ADR)
• Right to Constitutional Remedy

Important Current Legal Essay Topics for Judiciary Exam 2023

Solving previous year's Questions Papers for Judiciary Exams  will help you know the difficulty level and the type of questions asked in the essay paper. Refer to the following list of essays on current legal topics in India:

• Importance of Uniform Civil Code in India
• Role of Media in protecting democratic values in India
• Causes and Consequences of Violence Against Women in India
• Protection of human rights; Indian scenario
• How gender inequality affects the progress of our country
• The education system in India
• Causes and Consequences of Corruption in India
• The Practice of Child Labour In India
• The right to privacy is a fundamental right in India
• Right to Education in India

Read More : How to Read Bare Acts for Judiciary Exams?

• Barriers to Access to Justice in India
• Social Justice in Indian Democracy: An Overview
• The law relating to contempt of courts in India
• Review of administrative law in India
• Alternative dispute resolution in India
• Child Rights in India
• Right to constitutional remedies under the Constitution of India
• Emergency provisions of the Constitution of India
• Role and Powers of Governor
• Functions of Parliament in India: An overview
• Right to a fair trial in India

Important English Essay Topics for Judiciary Exams 2023

English is a subject where you can improve your grades in the judicial services examination. 

Following a few  English preparation tips for Judiciary Exams will help enhance your grammar and vocabulary, which are essential for writing a good essay.

The following are essential English essay topics for the Civil Judge exam:

• Role of Media
• Demonetisation
• Cyber Security
• Child Labour
• Industrial Development/Pollution
• Farmers suicide
• Water disputes
• Social Media
• Globalization
• Recent Laws
• World meetings
• Social issues

Read More : Short Tricks to Memorize Bare Acts for Judiciary exams

Mastering the Art of Writing An Excellent Essay for Judiciary Exams 2023

While an essay is a large project, there are many steps a student can take to break down the task into manageable chunks.

Following are the six steps to drafting an essay:

• Know precisely what is being asked of you. 
• Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas around the selected topic. 
• To write a successful essay, you must organize your thoughts.
• You must see connections and links between ideas more clearly by taking what's already in your head and putting it to paper. 
• The body of your essay argues, explains, or describes your topic.
• Each main idea that you wrote in bullets.
• The introduction should attract the reader's attention and show the focus of your essay. Your diagram or outline will become a separate section within the body of your essay.
• The conclusion brings closure to the topic and sums up your overall ideas while providing a final perspective on your topic.
• Read your response carefully to ensure there are no mistakes and you didn't miss anything.

How to Write a Good Essay in Judiciary Exam 2023?

Essay writing is an art that cannot be learned overnight or in a month. To write a good essay, you must read books, love reading and writing, and follow good authors. An Essay mainly depends on your command of the language and how much you know about the topic .

The following are some of the best essay writing preparation tips for the Judiciary exam :

First, you should read newspapers, magazines, etc., as it will help improve your vocabulary, knowledge, and viewpoint.

1. Selection of Option

• Generally, you will be given 3 to 4 topics in the exam.
• You have to choose the one per your knowledge of the particular topic.

2. Planning

• After finalizing the topic, you must plan your writing with a balanced approach.
• Jot down the key points to be mentioned in your essay.
• Your views must be presented in objective nature rather than presenting them in subjective nature.
• Also, mention your opinions and arguments with examples in your essay.
• Include facts and figures to support your approach.

Read more : Judiciary Exam Syllabus

3. Prioritize Important Points

• Highlight the essential points in the initial paragraph of the essay. 
• Try to include all the critical points related to the topic in the essay.
• Make text bold or italics to highlight the critical points in the middle of the paragraph.

4. Interlink Each Point

• Try to interlink each point in the essay.
• The second paragraph must continue the first paragraph; the third paragraph must relate to the second one, and so on.
• Do not repeat the content of the introduction.

In conclusion, the 50 Most Expected Essay Topics for Judiciary Exams 2023 are invaluable for aspiring candidates. These topics cover various legal issues and provide a comprehensive understanding of the current judicial landscape. As candidates prepare for their exams, here are the key takeaways:

• The essay topics encompass diverse areas of law, including constitutional law, criminal law, and civil law.
• Understanding key concepts and recent developments in these areas is crucial for success.
• Candidates should enhance their analytical and critical thinking skills to address these topics effectively.
• Regular practice and mock essay writing will help candidates develop their writing style and time management.
• Familiarity with landmark judgments and relevant case laws will strengthen essay arguments.
• Continuous self-assessment and revision will ensure a well-rounded preparation for the judiciary exams.

By utilizing these key takeaways, candidates can confidently and competently approach the essay section of the judiciary exams.

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November 16, 2023

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Lydia Polgreen

The Islamophobic Smear Campaign Dividing Democrats

By Lydia Polgreen

Opinion Columnist

On paper, President Biden’s nominee to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Adeel Abdullah Mangi, is an archetypical candidate for a federal judgeship. Mangi has a sterling legal education, which he followed with a distinguished career at a high-profile private firm mixing corporate litigation with important pro bono work. He also has a classic American story: He grew up in a poor country dreaming of a career as a lawyer and immigrated to the United States, where he ascended to the heights of his profession.

The candidate has another quality that was especially appealing to Biden, who has made diversifying the federal bench a key priority: Mangi would be the first Muslim American federal appellate judge in the United States.

When Mangi appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in December for a hearing about this lifetime appointment, Republican senators did not ask him about his legal background or judicial philosophy. “Do you condemn the atrocities of Hamas terrorists?” Senator Ted Cruz of Texas demanded of Mangi, a Pakistani American with no connection to Hamas or Palestinians other than the fact that he is Muslim, along with 1.8 billion other people across the globe.

Such bad faith ambushes are Cruz’s stock in trade, especially since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. So it was hardly a surprise that he and his Republican colleagues spent their allotted time insinuating that Mangi was an antisemite and an apologist not just for Hamas but also for the perpetrators of Sept. 11.

But what is much more worrying is that these tactics could work on some Senate Democrats. Right-wing judicial activists have been running a smear campaign against Mangi, including advertisements aimed at Senate Democrats like Jon Tester of Montana and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who are battling for re-election. The campaigns describe Mangi, with no evidence, as an antisemite and attempt to link him to Hamas and other terrorist groups. This means that Democrats who run the risk of losing their seats come November may see defending Mangi’s nomination as a potential risk to their chances at re-election. The campaign seems to be working. Over the past few days, CNN and HuffPost have reported that there may not be enough Democratic votes to confirm Mangi.

This is an outrage. The attacks on Mangi are utterly disingenuous. Major Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, have made statements of support for Mangi, whose pro bono legal work has focused in part on fighting for religious liberty and against religious bias across multiple faiths. The American Jewish Committee, which has joined several amicus briefs to the Supreme Court led by Mangi, described him as “a person of integrity, champion of pluralism and adversary of discrimination against any group.”

Abandoning Mangi’s nomination would be an unconscionable act at any time, but especially perilous for Democrats in the current political climate, when tens of thousands of Democratic primary voters in key states are expressing their outrage at Biden’s policy in Gaza by voting uncommitted. Meanwhile, the right is using the attacks on Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza as a means to imply that any Muslim could be pro-Hamas or antisemitic. If Democrats acquiesce, they will set a dangerous precedent.

Of course, the crucial background for the attacks on Mangi is the wave of Islamophobia that has swept the country over the past six months. The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported at the end of 2023 that it saw a 216 percent increase in reports of bias and requests for assistance from the previous year. A 6-year-old boy was stabbed to death in what investigators are calling a hate crime days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, and three college students of Palestinian origin were shot in Burlington, Vt., last Thanksgiving weekend, stunning that small, progressive city.

But this goes beyond Islamophobia, as heinous as it is, and beyond Israel and Gaza. The basic ideals of the Democratic Party, including the moral and legal obligation to provide asylum to those fleeing persecution, seem up for grabs . On immigration more broadly, the party has acquiesced to right-wing talking points, failing to prevent or even helping the firm shove of the Overton window to the right. For all the Democratic talk about a freedom agenda , the party has not really seized religious liberty, one of Mangi’s core areas of pro bono work, as part of its vision of a pluralistic and inclusive society.

“By allowing the far right to frame Mangi’s historic nomination with bogus Islamophobic smears and divide-and-conquer Senate Democrats, we aren’t just losing a nominee; we’re surrendering the entire debate on our core values of multiracial democracy and religious freedom,” Waleed Shahid, a veteran Democratic operative who has helped spearhead the uncommitted movement, told me.

While the Democrats waver, it is clear what kind of America the Republican Party wants. Republican values were on full display at Mangi’s confirmation hearing. ​​Republican senators harangued Mangi for his tenuous links to a Rutgers Law School institute, accusing him of holding views espoused by speakers invited as panelists at the institute.

That institute, the Center for Security, Race and Rights , has indeed invited provocative speakers, in service of fostering dialogue on complex and sometimes difficult subjects. Even so, Mangi had no role in selecting such speakers or determining the programming at the institute. He repeatedly, with admirable patience, condemned terrorism and condemned any attempt to justify acts of terrorism.

In recent days, as his nomination seemed to be teetering, prominent Democrats spoke up in his defense.

“Adeel Mangi has faced a barrage of outrageous and unfounded smears because of his religious faith,” said Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Mangi’s home state. “When we look at Mr. Mangi’s record — the totality of his professional life, his commitment to religious freedom and civil rights, his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee — it only reinforces his commitment to upholding and advancing the fundamental values we all hold as Americans.”

The Biden administration is speaking out to urge Mangi’s confirmation without delay, calling him “an extraordinarily qualified nominee who is devoted to the rule of law, lived the American dream through hard work, proven his integrity and would make history on the bench,” Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, told me, warning that “no senator should cave to hateful, undignified lies.”

If Senate Democrats backpedal in response to the right-wing smear campaign against Mangi, they squander a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the stark difference between their party and the G.O.P. at a time when some Democrats have become deeply disillusioned with their party’s ceding of ground to the right.

As the presidential election grinds on, it is clear that racism and Islamophobia lie at the core of the Republican Party’s revanchist campaign. Donald Trump, echoing fascist leaders throughout history, has declared that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” and when offered the opportunity to walk back or soften this inflammatory phrase by Fox News’s Howard Kurtz recently, Trump instead doubled down . “Why do you use words like ‘vermin’ and ‘poisoning of the blood’?” Kurtz asked. “Because our country is being poisoned,” Trump replied.

What better retort is there to this vicious notion than the formidable accomplishments of Adeel Mangi? He is an exemplar of how immigration has made the United States a stronger, richer, more powerful nation. He was drawn to the United States and the law by watching “Matlock” as a child in Karachi, Pakistan. In his pro bono legal work he represents another venerable American tradition: a devotion to protecting the freedom of all Americans to peacefully practice their faiths without interference, prejudice or coercion from the state, a notion the right has sought to upend .

I would ask any Democrat considering voting against this nominee this question: What vision of America do you actually believe in, if not the one exemplified by the life and work of a man like Adeel Mangi? Republicans have been very clear about who they are and what kind of future they imagine for our country. Confirming this nominee without delay would offer a powerful and necessary contrast to that dark vision and an opportunity for Democrats to tell us which America they stand for.

Source photograph by Graeme Sloan/Sipa, via Associated Press.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Lydia Polgreen is an Opinion columnist and a co-host of the “ Matter of Opinion ” podcast for The Times.