judicial opinions

7/24/2019 Judicial Opinions

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JUDICIAL OPINIONS

Chapter 10

AdvanProfes"ovin


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Decisions and Opinions

All atters $efore a co%rt terinate in a &%dicial 'riting(

If there is no precedential or instit%tional val%e )order* or )&%dgen

When trial &%dges e+plain the res%lts the! reach, deciding otions orsitting as fact-.nder /in trials 'itho%t a &%r! )decisions* or )opinion

In addition to seeing that &%stice is done in a partic%lar case, appellateco%rts have an instit%tional f%nction the! contri$%te to the cohesivedevelopent of the la'(


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A%dience

2here are %ltiple a%diences for a &%dicial opinion

2he parties involved in the disp%te /as 'ell as their respectiveco%nsel

2he co%rts a$ove and $elo'

2he legal co%nit! practitioners, st%dents, scholars, legislat

3ro%nds for coentar! and criti4%e5 $asis of legislation

3eneral p%$lic

Interested if the decision 'ill ipact $%siness or general life /If !o% are a la' cler# 'riting the .rst draft, !o%r a%dience is !o%r &%


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A%dience decisions that a#e la'

An! decision that involves ne' la' of polic! addresses

a%dience that incl%des &%dges, the $ar, la' st%dents, athe parties 'ho a! fall %nder it(

In addition, legal scholars, historians, and coentato'ill scr%tini6e these opinions(

7e$ers of the legislat%re a! react 'ith $ills that cod

odif!, or s%persede the co%rt8s r%ling(


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A%dience decisions that a#e la'

An! decision that involves ne' la' of polic! addresses

a%dience that incl%des &%dges, the $ar, la' st%dents, athe parties 'ho a! fall %nder it(

In addition, legal scholars, historians, and coentato'ill scr%tini6e these opinions(

7e$ers of the legislat%re a! react 'ith $ills that cod

odif!, or s%persede the co%rt8s r%ling(

These purposes and audiences afect an opinions rhet

In order to assure acceptance, in order to orestall revcritique, doubt, and misgiving, the opinion must convireaders o its rightness.


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2he $ig ta#ea'a!9

):W;hen the decision has $een ade and the opinionpenned, &%dges often %se the same rhetorical conas the la'!ers 'ho arg%e $efore the(


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Conc%rring Opinions

Conc%rring opinions tend to $e 'ritten 'hen a &%dge $elieves the

a&orit! cae to a correct decision, $%t not for the correct reason ):A; separate conc%rring opinion is &%sti.ed onl! 'hen the a&orit

%n'illing to accept the s%ggestion for incorporation into the ainopinion,* and 'hen the conc%rrer8s vie's are strongl! held( Otherthe reader a! $e p%66led as to 'h! there is a separate declaratia$o%t a decision the 'riter has &oined(

- J%dge "%ggero Aldisert /US Co%rt of Appeals for the 2hird Circ


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Dissenting Opinions

A dissent e+presses a &%dge8s $otto-line disagreeent 'ith the r

or the reasoning of the a&orit!(

Soe &%dges hate dissents$eca%se the! )can 'ea#enthe co%rt8s a%thorit!* and)t%rn $oth opinions into highschool de$ating e+ercises9*

Soe &%dges love dissents$eca%se the! highlight

&%dicial independence andinstit%tional legitiac!, anda! sta#e a position theco%rt 'ill adopt in the f%t%re(


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Candor and "easoning

Candor eans not onl! ac#no'ledging di>c%lt and tro%$ling cases, $%and even ore iportantl!, e+plaining the act%al reasons $ehind the r

):";easons that 9 s%pported a r%le a half-cent%r! ago a! no longer sit, tho%gh other relevant reasons do( In s%ch a case, it is not eno%gh toprecedent5 the c%rrentl! good reason %st also $e given( Nor is it everto sa! sipl! that ?p%$lic polic!8 &%sti.es the res%lt( 2here are a tho%sap%$lic policies 9 2he speci.c polic! %st $e identi.ed and its relevancclear(*

- J%dge "o$ert Le@ar /forer Associate J%stice, Ar#ansas S%pree C

Le@ar identi.es $asic #inds of reasons %pon 'hich a decision rests /athat &%dges sho%ld $e honest a$o%t 'hich one/s otivate their decisio

A%thorit! reasons

"ightness reasons /corrective &%stice

3oal reasons /social conse4%ences


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Coponents

J%dicial opinions t!picall! have a .ve-part foratB

Introd%ction

Stateent of the Iss%e/s

Stateent of the acts

Anal!sis

Disposition


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Coponents

Introd%ction

2he introd%ction orients the reader to the nat%re of the actio

2rial co%rt decisionB identif! the parties, the t!pe of action, aiss%es, and ho' the atter cae $efore the co%rt

AppellateB give eno%gh $ac#gro%nd for the decision to $e ea%nderstanda$le

Incl%de 'hat happened at the trial co%rt, e+plain the nat%re of the issappeal


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Coponents

Introd%ction

Soe &%dges li#e to previe' )the iss%e and the o%tcoes* inintrod%ction so that an+io%s parties are not held in s%spenseinterested parties can ore readil! follo' the anal!sis(


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Coponents

Stateent of the Iss%es

If not incl%ded in the introd%ction, the 4%estions to $e decidethe co%rt are set o%t in the ne+t section(

The power to rame the issue is the power to compeldecision in your avor!

)2ell e the ans'er !o% 'ant and I 'ill phrase the 4%estion(* J%stice ran#f%rter

As in an advocate8s 4%estion presented, the .rst half of thesentence sho%ld set o%t the legal 4%estion so as to provide tconte+t for the second half, 'hich provides the fact%al detai'hich a deterination depends(


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Coponents

Stateent of acts

act stateents often $egin $! stating the $%rden of proof ostandard of revie'( /2hese a#e a dierence ho' the a%dieread the facts(

"ee$er roadaps and topical headings

Usually'ritten in the past tense and follo's chronological o


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Coponents

Stateent of acts

2he stateent sho%ld incl%de onl! the facts necessar! for a%nderstanding of the case and a! not incl%de an! facts nocontained in the record(

2h%s the rendition is selective(

act stateents can $e ver! potent s%pport for the opinion8sanal!sis since the! conte+t%ali6e la' and draati6e its ipah%an life(


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Coponents

Anal!sis

2he heart of the opinion(

A 'ell-'ritten decision $egins 'ith a s%ari6ing roadap(

After this, it proceeds as 'o%ld a eo or $rief, iss%e $! isss%$-iss%e $! s%$-iss%e(

Once the la' is e+plained s%>cientl!, it is applied to the fac =+plain f%ll! and candidl! 'h! !o% reached !o%r concl%sion,

$e caref%l to provide a concl%sion for each iss%e raised in th


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Coponents

Disposition

2he last section(

In a trial opinion, it sho%ld descri$e the decision reached andrelief granted or penalt! iposed(

In an appellate opinion, a single sentence 'ill %s%all! s%>cethe co%rt a>rs(

When the &%dgeent is reversed or reanded, ore detaileinstr%ctions are needed to infor the trial tri$%nal e+actl! 'consideration is e+pected of it and to let the parties #no' 'the! stand(


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2he Writing Process

"ee$er that !o% do not need to 'rite the opinion in the o

%st $e %ltiatel! asse$ledE Consider 'riting the facts section onl! after the anal!sis is .ni

Consider 'riting /or re'riting the introd%ction after !o% 'rite anal!sis

)An! opinion of the co%rt has got to $e %nderstanda$le not ola'!ers and &%dges, $%t hopef%ll!, an! e$ers of the pres

p%$lic 'ho care to read it 9 We tr! ver! hard, in the co%rt8sopinions, to e+po%nd on o%r thin#ing, e+plain the alternativedisc%ss the arg%ents for the other res%lt and e+plain 'h! tare not pers%asive(*- J%stice 3ar! Stein, NJ S%pree Co%rt


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2he J%dicial Persona

2here are t'o coonl! %sed tones of voice

&%dicial 'ritingB2he )$oss* &%dge and the )deocratic* &%


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2he )$oss* &%dgeB a%thoritarian5 the )%ltiate $oss*

la'( 2he &%dge is an )interediate $oss* 'hose role istate and appl! the la' rather than to a#e, interpre&%stif!, or e+plain it(

2he la' is the s%$&ect, not the individ%als(

7agisterial, a%thoritative st!le conve!s a sense of

inevita$ilit!, %naniit!, infalli$ilit!, and o$&ectivit!(

=+B )2he fail%re of the defendant to respond to theintestate8s o%tcries is iaterial( No legal right of thintestate 'as infringed(*


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2he )deocratic* &%dgeB spea#s 'ith the voice of a teache

$elieves legal te+ts re4%ire e+planation and translation(2he teacher &%dge e+plains the la' for $oth the legal co

and the general p%$lic( In so doing, the &%dge recogni6es thla' $eing applied is, at least in part, of his or her o'n crea

=+plorator!, ore personal tone, ac#no'ledges disagreeadits 4%estions and do%$ts(

=+B ):2;he pro$les of 'rongf%l conception and 'rongf%l $involve an eval%ation not onl! of la', $%t also of orals,edicine, and societ!( 2h%s, it is not s%rprising that the saiss%e a! elicit divergent &%dicial responses(*


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or cases that present fe' disp%ted facts and no ne'

of la', &%dges and cler#s can coforta$l! don a )$ospersona and rest on a%thorit! reasons(

F%t for cases re4%iring the opinion 'riter to interpretcreate, choose $et'een, or stri#e do'n r%les, )teachpersonae are ore appropriate and s%$stantive reasore helpf%l(

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