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Jones V. North Carolina Prisoners' Labor Union, Inc. (1976)

 

Document 1

From: Potter Stewart
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: November 22nd, 1976
Action: Dissent at Foot
This refers to a letter where a justice asks that a dissent (or a dissent in part) be noted at the foot of an opinion; it also includes at foot opinions that indicates the justice wants the Court to hear arguments and decide rather than dismiss or decide summarily

Document 2

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: November 22nd, 1976
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 3

From: Warren E. Burger
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: November 23rd, 1976
Action: Propose Disposition in Case (Vote in a Case)
DIG (dismiss cert as improvidently granted); want to reach merits instead of DIG; would not DIG; affirm; reverse; remand; vacate; moot; court lacks jurisdiction; conference vote; withhold vote for now; defer vote; adhere to conference vote; initial vote in case; change conference vote; memo asking how others' vote on disposition

Document 4

From: Harry A. Blackmun
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: November 23rd, 1976
Action: Join Majority Opinion
Memos where a justice joins the majority opinion includes please join me; I agree; I am still with you; I acquiesce; I will go along; I dissent but will be silent; graveyard join or dissent. This code includes join of memorandum opinions if it is written by the assigned author, orders if it disposes of case, decrees, per curiam opinions. It also includes statements that the justice joins, but subject to what others might write.

Document 5

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 19th, 1977
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 6

From: Lewis F. Powell
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: May 23rd, 1977
Action: Join Majority Opinion
Memos where a justice joins the majority opinion includes please join me; I agree; I am still with you; I acquiesce; I will go along; I dissent but will be silent; graveyard join or dissent. This code includes join of memorandum opinions if it is written by the assigned author, orders if it disposes of case, decrees, per curiam opinions. It also includes statements that the justice joins, but subject to what others might write.

Document 7

From: Potter Stewart
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: May 24th, 1977
Action: Join Majority Opinion
Memos where a justice joins the majority opinion includes please join me; I agree; I am still with you; I acquiesce; I will go along; I dissent but will be silent; graveyard join or dissent. This code includes join of memorandum opinions if it is written by the assigned author, orders if it disposes of case, decrees, per curiam opinions. It also includes statements that the justice joins, but subject to what others might write.

Document 8

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 24th, 1977
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 9

From: Harry A. Blackmun
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: None
On: May 27th, 1977
Action: Join Majority Opinion
Memos where a justice joins the majority opinion includes please join me; I agree; I am still with you; I acquiesce; I will go along; I dissent but will be silent; graveyard join or dissent. This code includes join of memorandum opinions if it is written by the assigned author, orders if it disposes of case, decrees, per curiam opinions. It also includes statements that the justice joins, but subject to what others might write.
Action: Suggestion to Majority Opinion
This includes memo with broad statements including that a justice cannot join the opinion, cannot join a part of the opinion, does not agree with the opinion, or has continuing doubts with the opinion; memos that indicate that the author's change is not enough; memos that make suggestions for specific changes to majority opinion or that express reservations about some aspect of the majority opinion; this code is also given for suggestions to memorandum opinions by an assigned author

Document 10

From: Harry A. Blackmun
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: May 27th, 1977
Action: Join Majority Opinion
Memos where a justice joins the majority opinion includes please join me; I agree; I am still with you; I acquiesce; I will go along; I dissent but will be silent; graveyard join or dissent. This code includes join of memorandum opinions if it is written by the assigned author, orders if it disposes of case, decrees, per curiam opinions. It also includes statements that the justice joins, but subject to what others might write.

Document 11

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 31st, 1977
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 12

From: Byron R. White
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: May 31st, 1977
Action: Join Majority Opinion
Memos where a justice joins the majority opinion includes please join me; I agree; I am still with you; I acquiesce; I will go along; I dissent but will be silent; graveyard join or dissent. This code includes join of memorandum opinions if it is written by the assigned author, orders if it disposes of case, decrees, per curiam opinions. It also includes statements that the justice joins, but subject to what others might write.

Document 13

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Harry A. Blackmun
Copied: None
On: May 31st, 1977
Action: Majority Opinion Author's Response
May be response to a suggestion, reservation, or a separate opinion; may also say that author will respond to another opinion; may state majority opinion author's change to opinion that was not prompted by another justice; may indicate that the opinion is different from the conference discussion; may be a circulation of a portion of the opinion (a footnote, multiple pages without circulating the whole opinion); may be a suggestion from the majority opinion author regarding several options for changing majority opinion; may be a suggestion from the author for a change that could be made to opinion

Document 14

From: Warren E. Burger
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: June 13th, 1977
Action: Join Majority Opinion
Memos where a justice joins the majority opinion includes please join me; I agree; I am still with you; I acquiesce; I will go along; I dissent but will be silent; graveyard join or dissent. This code includes join of memorandum opinions if it is written by the assigned author, orders if it disposes of case, decrees, per curiam opinions. It also includes statements that the justice joins, but subject to what others might write.

Document 15

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 15th, 1977
Action: Concur in Part and Dissent in Part
This refers to an opinion draft that concurs in part and dissents in part, including opinions that concur in judgment and dissent (or dissent in part), concur in judgment in part and dissent (or dissent in part), or dissent in one docket and concurs in another docket

Document 16

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 16th, 1977
Action: Concurring Opinion
This refers to a concurring opinion draft

Document 17

From: Thurgood Marshall
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 17th, 1977
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 18

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 20th, 1977
Action: Concur in Part and Dissent in Part
This refers to an opinion draft that concurs in part and dissents in part, including opinions that concur in judgment and dissent (or dissent in part), concur in judgment in part and dissent (or dissent in part), or dissent in one docket and concurs in another docket

Document 19

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 20th, 1977
Action: Concurring Opinion
This refers to a concurring opinion draft

Document 20

From: William J. Brennan, Jr.
To: Thurgood Marshall
Copied: Conference
On: June 20th, 1977
Action: Join Dissent
Memos where a justice states that they join a dissenting opinion, including joining the dissent in part, joining a dissent from denial of cert, or joining a dissent at foot. The identity of the dissenting opinion author who receives the join is located in the JOINED variable.

Document 21

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Thurgood Marshall
Copied: Conference
On: June 20th, 1977
Action: Majority Opinion Author's Response
May be response to a suggestion, reservation, or a separate opinion; may also say that author will respond to another opinion; may state majority opinion author's change to opinion that was not prompted by another justice; may indicate that the opinion is different from the conference discussion; may be a circulation of a portion of the opinion (a footnote, multiple pages without circulating the whole opinion); may be a suggestion from the majority opinion author regarding several options for changing majority opinion; may be a suggestion from the author for a change that could be made to opinion

Document 22

From: Thurgood Marshall
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 22nd, 1977
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form