SCOTUSblog

SCOTUSblog
Name	SCOTUSblog
Type	Legal blog
Founded	2002
Founder	Tom Goldstein and Amy Howe
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Language	English

SCOTUSblog SCOTUSblog is an online publication focused on the Supreme Court of the United States, providing case coverage, analysis, and news for practitioners, scholars, and the public. It publishes previews, certiorari filings, merits briefs, oral argument coverage, and opinions, aiming to bridge reporting on the Supreme Court of the United States, commentary from advocates at law firms such as Jones Day and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and scholarship linked to institutions like Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. The site has been cited by outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Reuters and is used by academics from Columbia Law School, judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and litigants in cases involving statutes such as the Affordable Care Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

History

Founded in 2002 by litigators and advocates with backgrounds in appellate practice, the site emerged as a response to growing public interest in decisions from the Supreme Court of the United States and major cases like Bush v. Gore and later District of Columbia v. Heller. Early contributors were connected to firms and clinics represented in matters before the Court, including alumni from O'Melveny & Myers and Sidley Austin, and scholars from Stanford Law School and Georgetown University Law Center. Over the 2000s and 2010s the site expanded coverage during terms marked by landmark decisions such as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Obergefell v. Hodges, and National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, attracting readership among clerks who later served on the United States Supreme Court and the United States Courts of Appeals, as well as policy analysts from Brookings Institution and advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union.

Coverage and Content

The publication provides previews, argument recaps, and opinion analyses for high-profile dockets including disputes involving the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and federal statutes such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It posts petitions for certiorari and covers merits briefs filed by entities like the Solicitor General of the United States, think tanks such as the American Enterprise Institute, and bar associations like the American Bar Association. Content ranges from live blogs during oral arguments to in-depth explainers referencing decisions like Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade and subsequent doctrinal developments in cases involving the Commerce Clause and the Supremacy Clause. Its readers include attorneys preparing amicus briefs for organizations such as Chamber of Commerce of the United States and public-interest litigators from Public Citizen.

Editorial Staff and Contributors

The editorial lineup includes founders with appellate background and reporters trained in legal reporting who have ties to clerkships for justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Contributors have included former clerks of justices like Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg as well as academics from University of Chicago Law School and New York University School of Law. Regular columnists have backgrounds in litigation at firms such as Covington & Burling and at government offices including the United States Department of Justice and state attorneys general offices like the Office of the Attorney General of California. Guest posts often come from scholars associated with the Cato Institute, the Brennan Center for Justice, and legal historians connected to the Library of Congress.

Influence and Reception

The site is frequently cited in reporting by outlets such as NPR, Bloomberg News, and The Wall Street Journal and referenced by legal scholars at Georgetown University Law Center and judges issuing opinions in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Its coverage has influenced amicus strategies in cases before the Court, with submissions referencing analyses similar to those published by the site in matters involving campaign finance and administrative law disputes such as Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.. Legal commentators from The Atlantic and practitioners from WilmerHale and Latham & Watkins have debated its role in shaping public understanding of jurisprudential shifts regarding precedent in cases like Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Funding and Ownership

Originally founded by private practitioners and funded through advertising, subscriptions, and donations, its financial model has involved partnerships with law firms, foundations like the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and sponsorships from legal publishers such as Thomson Reuters. Ownership and governance have included nonprofit structures and editorial independence measures designed to separate funding sources from editorial decisions, invoking governance practices similar to those at institutions like the Pew Charitable Trusts and academic centers at Stanford University.

Awards and Recognition

The publication and its staff have received recognition from legal and journalistic organizations, earning accolades similar to awards granted by the American Bar Association and citations in prizes awarded by university law reviews at Harvard Law Review and Yale Law Journal. Individual contributors have been speakers at conferences organized by the Federalist Society, the American Constitution Society, and panels at events hosted by the Federal Judicial Center and the National Press Club.

Category:Legal websites