Cochran provides materials for classroom discussion, background reading, responses in journal entries, and as the starting point for more in-depth study or research on a topic. Each chapter includes Reports directing students to look in two directions. The In Court Reports ask the externs to connect, as directly as possible, the chapter materials to the extern's assigned court or to courts in the area. A new feature, the "Out of Court Reports" focus on the chapter materials themselves by asking how they relate to each other and what questions they raise about judges and judicial processes.