May 04, 2022 Show Reading a U.S. Supreme Court opinion can be intimidating. The average opinion includes 4,751 words, and is one of approximately 75 issued each year. It might be reassuring, however, to know that opinions contain similar parts and tend to follow a similar format. There are also useful things to identify amid the pages to help focus reading. Here is a basic guide for reading a U.S. Supreme Court opinion.
What Does that Case Citation Mean?A Note on Case Names Cases are named according to the parties involved. When there are two
parties, the first name is the petitioner, or the party filing the lawsuit against the second party, the respondent. Ex parte is also a Latin term, which refers to a case “from one party.” Typically, one or more of the parties is absent from the legal proceedings. Ex parte is followed by the name of the party who initiated the case, as in Ex parte Merryman. One individual, Merryman, arrested during the Civil War, challenged the government’s right to hold him without charges. He sought an order that would require the government to charge him with something, or let him go. Where to find U.S. Supreme Court Opinions U.S. Supreme Court www.supremecourt.gov/opinions What is the difference between Supreme Court opinion and Supreme Court dissent?Unlike majority opinions and similar to concurring opinions, dissenting opinions are not binding law and, therefore, future cases are not obliged to follow them. Nonetheless, dissenting opinions preserve minority viewpoints on contested legal issues and contribute to the public debate of these issues.
What does a dissent mean in the Supreme Court?A dissent refers to at least one party's disagreement with the majority opinion. An appellate judge or Supreme Court Justice who writes an opinion opposing the holding is said to write a dissenting opinion.
What is the opposite of dissent in Supreme Court?Concurring Opinions
Another type of opinion that can be delivered in addition to the majority opinion is a concurring opinion. In this type of opinion, a justice would agree with the majority vote but for different reasons than listed in the majority opinion.
What are the three types of opinions the Supreme Court gives?The Supreme Court's opinions and related materials are disseminated to the public electronically and in print. Prior to the issuance of bound volumes of the U.S. Reports, the Court's official decisions appear in three temporary forms: (1) bench opinions; (2) slip opinions; and (3) preliminary prints.
|