Last week, the New York Times reported that the median length of U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions has more than doubled since 1953, and during the 2009 term that number reached an all-time high of 4,751 words. Adam Liptak wrote that…
First, as you have likely heard, Justice John Paul Stevens announced today that he will retire at the end of the Court's current term. The announcement comes just 11 days short of the Justice's 90th birthday, and, not that it…
There are more good tidbits in the series of C-SPAN interviews of Supreme Court justices, the series in which Justice Scalia suggested that smart lawyers should find something more productive to do. In his interview, Justice John Paul Stevens was…
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on an anecdote from a set of interviews that all the Supreme Court justices recently granted to C-SPAN. This week is "Supreme Court Week" on C-SPAN, and that should attract more viewers than the channel's next biggest draw, the long-running…
On whether or not to look at the camera, anyway: Actually, that does not appear to be the final official portrait. Good thing, because this almost seems like one of those band photos where they all insist on broodingly staring off in…
In my experience, people did sometimes stick things in my underwear. [laughter] Or, not my underwear . . . whatever. Whatever. I was the one who did it? I don't know. I mean I don't think it's beyond human experience….
Speaking to a group of students on April 13 at a dinner sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas admitted that he is perpetually enthralled by the Miracle of the Dishwashing Machine: I have to admit…
Last month, Jay Wexler spoke to noted language expert Steven Pinker and asked him where Justice Scalia might have come up with the term "gollywaddles," which Scalia used during oral argument this term in FCC v. Fox Television Stations. Wexler…
Though no one ever actually dropped it, the "F-Bomb" was the main topic of conversation during Supreme Court arguments Tuesday in FCC v. Fox Television Stations. The case is on appeal from a Second Circuit decision that the FCC acted…
The Supreme Court did take up the "emergency" motions for reconsideration in the Carcieri case at its Friday conference today, and denied them. That means it will not decide whether Joe Larisa or Ted Olson gets to argue for the…