Circuit Splits

150 Most Commonly Used Words in the Obamacare Debate

For today's post, I thought I would mix it up a little. The word cloud below reflects the 150 most commonly used words during last month's oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the Affordable Care Act Cases. To create this cloud, I combined the transcripts from all four days of argument and then let Wordle work its magic. 

Initial observations: Given the fact that the words "Justice" and "Mr." appear in the transcript each time a party speaks, one might expect these honorifics to be repeated in the transcript more than any other word.

The substance of the monumental arguments, however, reveals itself once you look beyond these two words. For example, the words "Congress," "people," and "market" underscore some of the most difficult questions facing the Supreme Court; that is, questions concerning the separation of powers,* federalism, and the Commerce Clause.

Based on the amount of space occupied by Justice Sotomayor's name relative to those of her colleagues, it appears that the first of two justices appointed by President Obama was the most vocal justice on the bench. (And not surprisingly, Justice Thomas's name did not make it into the cloud.)

*In an interesting twist earlier this week, President Obama made several controversial remarks that provide an excellent illustration of the inherent tension between the separate branches of government. Here is a video of those remarks:

 

Judge Jerry Smith of the Fifth Circuit (a Reagan appointee) responded in a separate case by ordering the federal prosecutor in that case to submit a paper, "three pages single spaced," detailing the DOJ and Attorney General Holder's position on the Judiciary's authority to strike down laws that violate the Constitution. (For a brief overview of the chain of events that led to Judge Smith's unusual order, check out The Wall Street Journal Law Blog's coverage of the issue here.)

The Blog of LegalTimes has posted a copy of Attorney General Holder's letter in response here: PDF. Did the DOJ meet its 3-page minimum requirement? Were the President's comments out of line? Please let me know what you think in the comments below!

Commentary on Day 3's Debate Over the "'Heart' of Health Care Reform"

Yesterday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the third consecutive day concerning the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The following articles offer thoughtful commentary on yesterday's debate:

• Kate Pickert, The "Heart" of Health Care Reform: Can the Law Stand Without a Mandate?, Time.com (Mar. 29, 20112).

• Jeff Zeleny, Parties Brace for Fallout in Court's Ruling on Health Care, N.Y. Times (Mar. 28, 2012).

• Janet Adamy, Jess Bravin & Wilde Mathews, Health Case Ripples Outward: Ruling Against Mandate Would Pressure Insurers, Loom Large in November Election, The Wall Street Journal (Mar. 28, 2012).

For more on yesterday's oral arguments, check out the following video courtesy of the Wall Street Journal:

 

Health Care Reform: Reactions to Day 2's Individual Mandate Debate

Yesterday the Supreme Court heard the much-anticipated oral arguments over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. As any Supreme Court advocate worth his or her salt will tell you, a justice's demeanor during oral arguments is not always indicative of their disposition toward the case. Nevertheless, here is what the web is saying about day 2: 

• Jess Bravin, Justices Question Health Law, The Wall Street Journal (Mar. 27, 2012 10:22 PM ET).

• Adam Liptak, In Court, Sharp Questions on Health Care Law's Mandate, N.Y. Times (Mar. 27, 2012).

• Lyle Denniston, Argument recap: It is Kennedy's call, SCOTUSblog (Mar. 27, 2012 5:41 PM).

• Tom Goldstein, A Tale of Two Great Arguments, SCOTUSblog (Mar. 27, 2012 5:40 PM).

• Paul Barrett, Obamacare, Day 2: Regulation or Tyranny?, BloombergBusinessweek (Mar. 27, 2012).

• Mark Sherman & Jesse J. Holland, Day 2 of Supreme Court Health Care Battle, Huffington Post (posted: 03/27/2012 1:55 pm, updated: 03/27/2012 6:29 pm).

Here is an audio clip from yesterday's oral arguments courtesy of the Washington Post, in which Justice Kennedy "suggests to the solicitor general that the government needs to justify its position that it is within Congressional powers to require individuals to have health insurance."

You can read David Fahrenthold and N.C. Aizenman's full article on the Washington Post's website here: 

• David A. Fahrenthold & N.C. Aizenman, Court watchers on both sides speculate about health-care mandate, Washington Post (Mar. 27, 2012 7:57 PM).

140 Writing Tips From the "Brief of the Century"

As I mentioned on the Legal Skills Prof Blog (here), I recently finished reading writing guru Ross Guberman's new book entitled "Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation's Top Advocates." I highly recommend the book to any lawyer, professor, or law student who is interested in improving their writing, but is not willing to suffer through another stuffy treatise. It seems that Ross has kept quite busy since the release of his book last year. In anticipation of this week's oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act, Ross has put together a list of 140+ writing tips using the Solicitor General's brief to the Supreme Court (otherwise referred to as the "brief of the century") discussing the constitutionality of the Act. You can read his comments here: PDF.

On a related note, you can listen to an audio recording of yesterday's oral argument concerning the Anti-Injunction Act's applicability to the Health Care Reform Cases by clicking on the following YouTube video:

[*Hat tip to Ross Guberman for the link.]

70 Articles On the Practice of Appellate Law

A lot has been written about the practice of appellate law. From David Frederick's "Art of Oral Advocacy" to Chief Judge Alex Kozinski's "The Wrong Stuff," the following articles offer a broad range of commentary on the art, science, practice, or whatever you want to call it, of appellate law. But this list is by no means comprehensive, so please feel free to recommend additional articles by leaving a comment below.

Articles Published in Law Reviews, Bar Journals, Legal Periodicals, & CLE Papers

1. American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Statements on the Functions and Future of Appellate Lawyers, 8 App. Prac. & Process 1 (2006) (PDF)
2. Axelrad, David M., Paint Me a Picture: A Conversation on the Appellate Process, Appellate Advocacy (Nov. 2009) (PDF)
3. Baldock, Robert R. et al., Transcript, What Appellate Advocates Seek from Appellate Judges and what Appellate Judges Seek from Appellate Advocates, 31 N.M. L. Rev. 265 (2001) (PDF)
4. Baker, Thomas E., An Annotated Bibliography on Federal Appellate Practice and Procedure, 10 J. App. Prac. & Process 13 (2009)
5. Barksdale, Rhesa Hawkins, The Role of Civility in Appellate Advocacy, 50 S.C. L. Rev. 573 (1999)
6. Baruch, Chad, State Bar of Texas, Improving Legal Writing in Appeals, 22nd Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course (Sept. 4-5, 2008) (PDF)
7. Bishop, Timothy S., Oral Argument in the Roberts Court, 35 Litig. 1 (ABA Winter 2009) (PDF)
8. Bishop, Timothy S. et al., Tips on Petitioning for and Opposing Certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court, 34 Litig. (ABA Winter 2008) (PDF)
9. Bishop, Timohty S. & Sarles, Jeffrey W., Petitioning the United States Supreme Court for Certiorari: A Primer, Appellate.net (ABA 1994) (web)
10. Blakley, Alan F., Ten Ways To Lose An Appeal, Part I, 53 Fed. Law 18 (Oct. 2006)
11. Cappalli, Richard B., Improving Appellate Opinions, 83 Judicature 286 (2000) (web)
12. Chestek, Kenneth D., The Plot Thickens: The Appellate Brief as Story (Dec. 18, 2007) (SSRN)
13. Cole, Jeffrey, An Interview With Steve Shapiro: The Art of Appellate Advocacy, 2 The Circuit Rider 3 (PDF)
14. Cole, Jeffrey, An Interview With Steve Shapiro, 23 Litig. (ABA Winter 1997) (web)
15. Dwyer, Stephen J. et al., How to Write, Edit, and Review Persuasive Briefs: Seven Guidelines From One Judge and Two Lawyers, 31 Seattle Univ. L. Rev. 417 (2008) (PDF)
16. Elligett, Jr., Raymond T. & Scheb, John M., Stating the Case and Facts: Foundation of the Appellate Brief, 32 Stetson L. Rev. 415 (2003) (PDF)*
17. Fisher, Jeffrey, A Supreme Court Clinic’s Place in the Supreme Court Bar, Stan. Pub. L. Working Paper No. 1921430 (Jan. 25, 2012) (SSRN)
18. Frey, Andrew L., Amici Curiae: Friends of the Court or Nuisance?, 33 Litig. 1 (Fall 2006) (PDF)
19. Frey, Andrew L. & Englert, Roy, How to Write a Good Appellate Brief, Appellate.net (ABA 1994) (web)
20. Fronk, Casey R., The Cost of Judicial Citation: An Empirical Investigation of Citation Practices in the Federal Appellate Courts, 2010 U. Ill. J.L. Tech. & Pol'y 51 (2010).
21. Geller, Kenneth S. et al., Opposing Review: The Art of Finding "Uncertworthiness", 1 Inside Litig. 27 (Mar. 1987) (web)
22. Ginsburg, Ruth Bader, Remarks on Appellate Advocacy, 50 S. C. L. Rev. 567 (1999)
23. Godbold, John, Twenty Pages and Twenty Minutes, 15 Litig. 3 (Spring 1989) (PDF)
24. Greaney, John M. Power of the Pen, 38 Trial 48 (July 2002) (web)
25. Hamilton, Clyde H., Effective Appellate Brief Writing, 50 S. C. L. Rev. 581 (1999)
26. Harlan, John M., What Part Does the Oral Argument Play in the Conduct of an Appeal?, 41 Cornell Q. 6 (1956) (PDF)
27. Hatchett, Joseph W. & Telfer, Robert J., III, The Importance of Appellate Oral Argument, 33 Stetson L. Rev. 139 (2003) (PDF)
28. Hawkins, Michael Daly, Your Worst Nightmare: Things That Can Go Bump on Appeal, 22 Litig. 3 (Spring1996)
29. Herr, David F. & Gilbertson, Cynthia F., Improving the Odds on Appeal, 60 Bench & B. Minn. 17 (2003) (PDF)
30. Higginbotham, Patrick E., Book Review, Narratives Drawn from Rich Experience: Mayer Brown's Federal Appellate Practice, 10 J. App. Prac. & Process 401 (2009)
31. Kozinski, Alex, How You Too Can Lose Your Appeal, Montana Lawyer (Oct. 23, 1997) (web)
32. Kozinski, Alex, The Wrong Stuff, 1992 BYU L. Rev. 325 (1992) (PDF)
33. Lewis, David, Common Knowledge about Appellate Briefs: True or False?, 6 J. App. Prac. & Process 331 (2004) (web)
34. Lewis, David, If You Have Seen One Circuit, Have You Seen Them All? A Comparison of the Advocacy Preferences of Three Federal Circuit Courts Of Appeal, 83 Denv. U. L. Rev. 893 (2006) (PDF)
35. Lewis, David, 138 Appellate Judges Can't be Wrong, The Champion 10 (Aug. 2007) (PDF)
36. Lewis, David, What's the Difference?: A Comparison of the Advocacy Preferences of State and Federal Appellate Judges, 7 J. App. Prac. & Process 335 (2005)
37. Lewis, David, Survey Sheds Light on Appellate Brief-Writing, 32 Mass. Lawyer's Weekly 495 (Nov. 3, 2003)
38. Lewis, David, Appellate Judge Survey Offers Insight into Effective Advocacy, 14 N.H. B. News 13 (Sept. 5, 2003) (web)
39. Llewellyn, Karl N., A Lecture On Appellate Advocacy, 7 J. App. Prac. & Process 173 (2005) (web)
40. Markman, Stuart C., Responding to Appellate Lawyers Who Cross the Line, 32 Stetson L. Rev. 425 (2003) (PDF)
41. Mauro, Tony, Courtside, Court Aces, 26 Legal Times (July 14, 2003) (PDF)
42. Merling, Joseph C., Advocacy at Its Best: The Views of Appellate Staff Attorneys, 8 J. App. Prac. & Process 301 (2006) (web)
43. Miner, Roger J., Professional Responsibility in Appellate Practice: A View from the Bench, 19 Pace L. Rev. 323 (1999) (PDF)
44. Pregerson, Harry & Painter-Thorne, Suzianne D., The Seven Virtues of Appellate Brief Writing: An Update from the Bench, 38 Sw. L. Rev. 221 (2008) (PDF)
45. Pregerson, Harry, The Seven Sins of Appellate Brief Writing and Other Transgressions, 34 UCLA L. Rev. 431 (1986)
46. Pierce, Lawrence W. Pierce, Appellate Advocacy: Some Reflections from the Bench, 61 Fordham L. Rev. 829 (1993) (PDF)
47. Posner, Richard, Convincing a Federal Court of Appeals, 25 Litig. 3 (Winter 1999) (Word) (web)
48. Rehnquist, William H., From Webster to Word-Processing: The Ascendance of the Appellate Brief, 1 J. App. Prac. & Process 1 (1999)*
49. Rehnquist, William H., Oral Advocacy, 27 S. Tex. L. Rev. 289 (1986)
50. Rehnquist, William H., Oral Advocacy: A Disappearing Art, 35 Mercer L. Rev. 1017 (1984)
51. Richmond, Douglas R., Appellate Ethics: Truth, Criticism, and Consequences, 23 Rev. Litig. 301 (Spring 2004)
52. Rychlak, Ronald J., Effective Appellate Advocacy: Tips from the Teams, 66 Miss. L.J. 527 (1997) (SSRN)
53. Sasso, Gary L., Appellate Oral Argument, 20 Litig. 27 (Summer 1997) (PDF)
54. Schroeder, James C. & Dow, Jr., Robert M., Arguing for Changes in the Law, 25 Litig. 2 (Winter 1999) (web)
55. Shapiro, Stephen M., Readable Briefs for Busy Judges, ABA Appellate Practice J. (Summer 2010) (PDF)
56. Shapiro, Stephen M., Questions, Answers, and Prepared Remarks, 15 Litig. 33 (Spring 1989) (PDF)
57. Shapiro, Stephen M., Speech, Oral Argument in the Supreme Court: The Felt Necessities of the Time, Appellate.net (Mayer, Brown & Platt 1999) (web)
58. Shapiro, Stephen M., Certiorari Practice: The Supreme Court's Shrinking Docket, Appellate.com (Mayer, Brown & Platt 1999) (web)
59. Shepherd, John H., Making Appellate Advocacy More Effective, 74 Mich. B.J. 32 (Jan. 1995) (PDF)
60. Spence, Gerry, Beyond Shouting, 81 ABA J. 68 (1995) (Google Books)
61. Sundquist, Matthew L., Learned in Litigation: Former Solicitors General in the Supreme Court Bar, 5 Charleston L. Rev. 59 (2010) (PDF)
62. Tchen, Christina M., Still Grateful after All These Years, 5 J. App. Prac. & Process 157 (2003) (web)
63. Tiscione, Kristen K., The Inside Scoop: What Federal Judges Really Think About the Way Lawyers Write, 8 L. Writing 257 (2002) (PDF)
64. Tobias, Carl, The Federal Appeals Courts at Century’s End, 34 U.C. Davis L. Rev. 549 (2000) (PDF)
65. Walbolt, Sylvia H. & Allen, Matthew D., The Ten Commandments of Writing an Effective Appellate Brief (PDF)
66. Walbot, Sylvia H. & Lang, Jr., Joseph H., Amicus Briefs Revisited, 31 Stetson L. Rev. 171 (2003) (PDF)
67. Wald, Patricia M., Essay, 19 Times from 19 Years on the Appellate Bench, 1 J. App. Prac. & Process 7 (1999) (PDF)
68. Wiener, Jr., Jacques L., Ruminations from the Bench: Brief Writing and Oral Argument in the Fifth Circuit, 70 Tul. L. Rev. 187 (1995) 
69. Wilson, Charles R., How Opinions Are Developed in the United States Court of Appeals, 32 Stetson L. Rev. 247 (2003) (PDF)
70. Winkelman, Nancy, "Just a Brief Writer"?, 29 Litig. 50 (Summer 2003) (PDF)