Last September, 20 million people watched a combative Brett Kavanaugh defend himself and his judicial record during a contentious week of confirmation hearings. The Senate ultimately confirmed Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in a 50-48 vote, largely split down party lines. With Kavanaugh’s second term set to begin October 1, we take a look at [...]
SCOTUSblog released its annual Stat Pack for the October Term 2018 last week—an invaluable resource for the Supreme Court community. You can access the Stat Pack in full, here. SCOTUSblog’s Adam Feldman provided such a well written summary that I want to quote entirely from his piece here. Please read the original in full: Adam [...]
Legal commentators have long speculated that Supreme Court Justices prefer to release their most controversial opinions at the end of each term before embarking on summer recess to travel, teach, and write. For the fifth straight term, however, the Court has more than half of its opinions still outstanding at this point of the [...]
During the Supreme Court’s 2017 Term, the number of paid (booklet format) cases increased 11% while the number of in forma pauperis (IFP) filings decreased 3%.* 2017 Term 6,315 total filings 4,595 IFP filings 1,720 paid filings 2016 Term 6,305 total filings 4,755 IFP filings 1,550 paid filings To place these numbers in perspective, [...]
Some attorneys view oral argument as a mere formality, particularly in courts where judges actually read party briefs in advance. Counsel may think, “what can a few minutes of argument add to what a judge has already learned from reading pages-and-pages of my well researched, highly-persuasive brief?” But, as wise lawyers know, oral argument can [...]
The Supreme Court is often described as distinctly American in concept and function. We look to it as the last resort in search of justice, equality, and validation of our political views. It’s where we wage our most serious legal battles – from voting disputes and privacy issues to establishing the rights of young [...]
The overwhelming majority of cases decided by federal courts of appeals and state supreme courts are not credible candidates for certiorari. Here’s a helpful cheat sheet regarding Supreme Court grant rates: In Forma Pauperis petitions: .1% Booklet format petitions: 4% Percentage of merits-docket comprised of Cockle petitions: 14% Below you’ll find a [...]
Legal commentators have long speculated that Supreme Court Justices prefer to release their most controversial opinions at the end of each term, days before embarking on summer recess to travel, teach, and write. A recent study by Lee Epstein of Washington University, William Landes of the University of Chicago, and Judge Richard Posner of [...]
Annual Supreme Court Terms commence, by statute, on the first Monday of October. 28 U.S.C. § 2 provides: "The Supreme Court shall hold at the seat of government a {T}erm of court commencing on the first Monday in October of each year…." Though Congress never specified on which day a Term should end, the Court prefers to [...]