Criminal Law
Prof. Philip Meyer
Syllabus – Fall 2015-16
Texts:
“Criminal Law” (Sixth Edition), Joshua Dressler (ISBN: 978-0314279828)
“Understanding Criminal Law” (Sixth Edition), Joshua Dressler (ISBN: 978-0769848938)
Professor’s Statement
This syllabus provides a tentative schedule for your information and planning purposes.
Coverage of many subjects may require classes in addition to those specified in this syllabus. I plan to
use film fragments as visual hypotheticals and supplements to the cases and materials in Dressler’s
casebook. Also, I recommended strongly that you read the Notes and Questions that follow the
assigned cases in Dressler’s casebook; I will base class discussion upon these questions and materials.
I hope you will share my enthusiasm for our exploration and survey of substantive criminal law.
In style and substance it will be a course somewhat different from many you have had at VLS. I hope it
will be an adventure for you; that, in addition to learning doctrinal criminal law, this course will engage
your imagination and provide opportunities for creativity and critical thoughtfulness.
Professor Philip Meyer
1
ASSIGNMENT #
SUBJECT(S)
ASSIGNMENT
1&2
Course Introduction
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 1 – 9 and
Proof of Guilt
Pp. 27 – 37
Jury Nullification
Casebook, Pp. 9 – 13
Owens v. State (Casebook, Pp.13 – 16)
Note 1 (Casebook, P.16)
State v. Ragland (Casebook, Pp. 19 – 22)
Principles of Punishment
Queen v. Dudley and Stephens
(Casebook, Pp. 49 – 51)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 11 – 25, 49 -65
People v. Superior Court
(Casebook, Pp. 51 – 54)
People v. Du (Casebook, Pp.54 – 56)
3&4
ACTUS REUS
Voluntary Acts
Model Penal Code, Section 2.01
(Casebook, P.947)
State v. Utter (Casebook, Pp. 130 – 133)
Note 6 (Casebook, P.134)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp.85 – 104
Omissions
People v. Beardsley
(Casebook, Pp. 136 – 138)
Notes 4, 5, & 6 (Casebook, Pp. 139 – 142)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 105 – 111
Barber v. Superior Court
(Casebook, Pp. 142 – 146)
Notes 2 and 3 (Casebook, Pp. 146 - 147)
2
Social Harm
Casebook, Pp. 147 – 148
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp.112 – 115
5
MENS REA
Cordoba Hincapie (Casebook Pp. 149 – 150)
Intent
Regina v. Cunningham (Casebook Pp. 151 – 152)
Model Penal Code, Section 2.02
(Casebook Pp. 947 – 949)
People v. Conley (Casebook, Pp. 153 – 155)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp.117 – 127
Knowledge, Recklessness,
And Negligence
Model Penal Code, Section 2.02
(Casebook, Pp. 947 – 949)
State v. Nations (Casebook, Pp. 164 – 166)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 127 – 144
6
MENS REA (continued)
Strict Liability
Model Penal Code, Section 2.05
(Casebook, Pp. 950 - 951)
United States v. Cordoba – Hincapie
(Casebook, Pp. 174 – 175)
Staples v. US (Casebook, Pp. 176 – 182)
Garnett v. State (Casebook, Pp. 185 – 192)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 145 – 151
7
MENS REA (continued)
Mistake of Fact
Model Penal Code, Section 2.04
(Casebook, P. 950)
People v. Navarro (Casebook, Pp. 193 – 195)
Navarro Notes 3, 4, and 5 (Pp. 195 – 197)
3
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp.153 – 165
Model Penal Code, Section 2.04
(Casebook, Pp.950)
People v. Marrero (Casebook, Pp. 197 – 204)
Note 1,2 (Casebook, Pp. 204 – 205)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 167 – 180
8
Mistake of Law
(continued)
Cheek v. United States
(Casebook, Pp. 207 – 211)
Note 1 (P.211)
Causation
Velazquez v. State
(Casebook, Pp. 213 – 214)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp.181 – 184
Cause in Fact
Oxendine v. State, Notes 1, 2
(Casebook, Pp. 214 – 218)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 184 – 188
Proximate Cause
People v. Rideout
(Casebook, Pp. 220 – 224)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 188 – 197
Velazquez v. State, (Casebook, Pp. 229 – 230)
Concurrence
State v. Rose, Note 1 (Casebook, Pp. 232 – 234)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 192 – 202
9
HOMICIDE
Introduction
Model Penal Code, Sections 210.0 – 210.4
(Casebook, Pp. 978 – 980)
Overview (Casebook, Pp. 235 – 247)
The “Human Being”
People v. Eulo (Casebook, Pp. 247 – 253)
State v. Guthrie (Casebook, Pp. 254 – 257)
4
First – Degree and
Second – Degree Murder
Midgett v. State (Casebook, Pp. 258 – 261)
State v. Forrest (Casebook, Pp. 261 – 263)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 495 – 510
10
Manslaughter
Girouard v. State (Casebook, Pp. 265 – 269)
Director of Public Prosecutions v. Camplins
(Casebook, Pp. 278 – 281)
People v. Casassa (Casebook, Pp. 284 – 288)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 524 – 541
11
Unintentional Killings
People v. Moore &
People v. Knoller (Casebook, Pp. 294 – 297)
State v. Williams (Casebook, Pp. 300 – 303)
Notes 7, 8 (Casebook, Pp. 313 – 314)
12
Homicide (continued)
The Felony Murder Rule
People v. Fuller (Casebook, Pp. 309 – 310)
Roth & Sundby, The Felony Murder Rule
(Casebook, Pp. 310 – 313)
Crump & Crump, In Defense of the Felony
Murder Doctrine (Casebook, Pp. 314 – 318)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 510 – 523
13
1. The “Inherently
Dangerous” Felon Limitation
People v. Howard (Casebook, Pp. 319 – 324)
The Felony Murder Rule
(continued)
Notes 4, 5, and 6 (Casebook, Pp. 325)
2.The Merger Doctrine
People v. Smith (Casebook, Pp. 326 – 329)
3.Killings in Furtherance of
A Felony
State v. Sophophone (Casebook, Pp. 331 – 334)
5
Brain Teaser (3)
14
Casebook, Pp. 337 – 338
RAPE
Introduction
Model Penal Code, Section 213.1
(Casebook, Pp. 985 – 986)
Overview (Casebook, Pp. 379 – 397)
Actus Reus
Rusk v. State, State v. Rusk
(Casebook, Pp. 404 – 410)
State v. Alston (Casebook, Pp. 397 – 401)
Note 5
“No” (or the absence of “Yes”) as “force”?
(Casebook, Pp. 415 – 418)
In the Interest of M.T.S.
(Casebook, Pp. 429 – 436)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 567 – 585
15
RAPE (continued)
Mens Rea
Commonwealth v. Sherry
(Casebook, Pp. 440 – 442)
Rape Shield Laws
State v. Herndon (Casebook, Pp. 452 – 453)
People v. Wilhelm (Casebook, Pp. 453 – 456)
Notes 1 – 3 (Casebook, Pp. 456 – 457)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 585 – 596
16
THEFT
&
Larceny
Model Penal Code, Sections 223.0 – 223.4
17
(Casebook, Pp.991 – 994)
Lee v. State (Casebook, Pp. 894 - 895)
Actus Reus: Taking and Carrying
Lund v. Commonwealth
Away Property
(Casebook, Pp. 906 – 909)
6
People v. Brown (Casebook, Pp. 910 – 911)
Mens Rea:
The Intent to Steal Property
People v. Davis (Casebook, Pp. 914 – 918)
Embezzlement
Rex v. Bazeley (Casebook, Pp.918 – 922)
Theft by False Pretenses
People v. Ingram (Casebook, Pp. 922 – 923)
People v. Whight (Casebook, Pp. 924 – 927)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 543 – 565
18
ATTEMPTS
Introduction
Model Penal Code, Sections 5.01, 5.05
(Casebook, Pp. 971 – 972, 974 – 975)
The Mental State Requirement
People v. Gentry (Casebook, Pp. 717 – 719)
United States v. Mandujano, Pp. 724 – 726
Distinguishing Preparation from
Perpetration
Commonwealth v. Peaslee
(Casebook, Pp. 729 – 730)
People v. Rizzo (Casebook, Pp.732 – 733)
State v. Reeves (Casebook, Pp. 737 – 741)
Understanding Criminal Law (Pp. 373 – 381, 384
- 396, 406 – 410)
19
ACCOMPLICE LIABILITY
An Introduction to Accomplice
Liability
State v. Ward (Casebook, Pp.828 – 829)
State v. Hoselton (Casebook, Pp. 831 – 833)
State v. V.T. (Casebook, Pp. 849 – 850)
People v. Genoa (Casebook, Pp. 857 – 858)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 465 – 478
7
20
SELF – DEFENSE
Introduction
Model Penal Code 3.04
(Casebook, Pp. 957 – 958)
United States v. Peterson
(Casebook, Pp. 481 – 486)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 221 – 235
The Reasonable Belief Requirement
People v. Goetz (Casebook, Pp. 492 – 497)
Notes (Casebook, Pp. 497 – 505)
Objective and Subjective Standards
State v. Wanrow (Casebook, Pp. 506 – 509)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 236 – 240
21
SELF – DEFENSE (continued)
Defense of Others
Model Penal Code, Section 3.05
(Casebook, Pp. 958)
People v. Kurr (Casebook, Pp. 530 – 533)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 255 – 257
The Battered Wife Syndrome
State v. Norman
(North Carolina Court of Appeals Opinion)
(Casebook, Pp. 513 – 518)
State v. Norman
(North Carolina Supreme Court Opinion)
(Casebook, Pp. 518 – 521)
Notes (Casebook, Pp. 521 – 527)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 240 – 246
INTOXICATION
Voluntary Intoxication
Model Penal Code, Section 2.08
(Casebook, P. 954)
8
Commonwealth v. Veach
(Casebook, Pp. 584 – 586)
Involuntary Intoxication
Note 6 (Casebook, Pp. 591 – 592)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 317 – 332
22
NECESSITY and DURESS
Introduction
Model Penal Code, Section 2.09, 3.01 – 3.03
(Casebook, p.954, 956)
Nelson v. State (Casebook, Pp. 541 – 544)
General Principals
United States v. Contento-Pachon
(Casebook, Pp. 564 – 567)
People v. Unger (Casebook, Pp.572 – 576)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 285 – 315
23
INSANITY
Model Penal Code, Section 4.01 – 4.05
(Casebook, Pp. 966 – 967)
Casebook, Pp. 592 – 597
United States v. Freeman (Casebook, Pp. 597)
State v. Johnson (Casebook, Pp. 599 – 603)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 333 – 359
24
Appreciating the Wrongfulness
Of One’s Actions
State v. Wilson (Casebook, Pp. 612 – 619)
Diminished Capacity
Clark v. Arizona (Casebook, Pp. 642 – 651)
Understanding Criminal Law, Pp. 361 – 371
9