It’s coming up on presidential primary season and all candidates are dusting off their resumes. “Vote for me!” I’m a Senator. I’m a Doctor. I’m a CEO. I’m a Secretary of State. I’m a Governor. In due course, one of these people will be able to say “I’m the President.” Nice work if you [...]
When confronted with a Petition for Writ of Certiorari filed in the United States Supreme Court, some attorneys will play the odds and let the Court deal with a Petition without even filing a Brief in Opposition. A Respondent may choose to waive the right to oppose a Petition that seems clearly without merit. This [...]
According to the Supreme Court website: Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice, was born in Sacramento, California, July 23, 1936. He married Mary Davis and has three children. He received his B.A. from Stanford University and the London School of Economics, and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He was in private practice in San Francisco, [...]
According to the Supreme Court website: Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice, was born in Trenton, New Jersey, March 11, 1936. He married Maureen McCarthy and has nine children - Ann Forrest, Eugene, John Francis, Catherine Elisabeth, Mary Clare, Paul David, Matthew, Christopher James, and Margaret Jane. He received his A.B. from Georgetown University and the University [...]
How to write a legal brief. Putting together the Appendix of your Brief can be confusing. This blog will offer an easy-to-follow outline of what to include and how to gather the information. Some documents—like Petitions—have required Appendix elements. Appendix documents cannot simply be photocopied, but must be typeset to the same standards as a [...]
Today in Supreme Court History. On this day in 2014, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. In a 5-4 ruling, the Court held that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) cannot force a "closely held company" to cover [...]
Amicus curiae briefs are submitted by non-parties to a case as a way of introducing information and concerns to the Court, demonstrating that a case’s outcome may have wider effects beyond the immediate parties to the suit. They can provide valuable assistance to the Court in its deliberations by presenting an argument or citing authorities [...]
There may be an impulse to make a brief intricate, detailed, and complex in order to prove a point, but that method will backfire. Instead, the Supreme Court justices prefer simple clarity. Here are a few tips on how to accomplish clean copy when writing a legal brief. Legal writing expert Bryan Garner has had [...]
Pro se is a legal term that comes from Latin, meaning "for oneself, on one's own behalf." It basically means that an individual is representing him- or herself in court by choice without the help of an attorney. People may choose to represent themselves in court for a variety of reasons. Some want to avoid [...]
“Cockle Legal Briefs is the nation’s leading Supreme Court brief printer. The Supreme Court is an institution dedicated to upholding our sacred ideals of Constitutional democracy. So, Cockle equals liberty.” Sean C. Bradley, Esq. “The Supreme Court plays a very important role in our constitutional system of government. First, as the highest court in the [...]