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Washington V. Chrisman (1980)

 

Document 1

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 5th, 1981
Action: Per Curiam Opinion
This refers to a draft per curiam opinion

Document 2

From: Potter Stewart
To: Warren E. Burger
Copied: Conference
On: May 6th, 1981
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 3

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Warren E. Burger
Copied: Conference
On: May 6th, 1981
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 4

From: Byron R. White
To: Warren E. Burger
Copied: Conference
On: May 6th, 1981
Action: Will Write Dissenting Opinion
A memo where a justice states that he or she will circulate a dissenting opinion draft, including that a dissenting opinion will be out soon or that a revised draft of the dissenting opinion will be circulated; this also applies to statements responding to dissent assignments like will be glad to write dissent, self-assignment of dissent (e.g., we are in dissent and I will write it), or requesting permission to write dissent (e.g., is it ok if I write a dissent)
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 5

From: Lewis F. Powell
To: Warren E. Burger
Copied: Conference
On: May 7th, 1981
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 6

From: Byron R. White
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 7th, 1981
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 7

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Warren E. Burger
Copied: Conference
On: May 8th, 1981
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 8

From: William J. Brennan, Jr.
To: Byron R. White
Copied: Conference
On: May 8th, 1981
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 9

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 11th, 1981
Action: Per Curiam Opinion
This refers to a draft per curiam opinion

Document 10

From: Byron R. White
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 11th, 1981
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 11

From: Thurgood Marshall
To: Byron R. White
Copied: Conference
On: May 12th, 1981
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 12

From: Harry A. Blackmun
To: Warren E. Burger
Copied: Conference
On: May 20th, 1981
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: Byron R. White
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 21st, 1981
Action: Concur in Judgment
This refers to an opinion draft that concurs in the judgment or result

Document 14

From: Byron R. White
To: Warren E. Burger
Copied: Conference
On: May 21st, 1981
Action: Dissenting Opinion Author's Response
May be a response to a suggestion, majority opinion, or another separate opinion; it may say the author made changes and see the attached opinion; it may indicate the opinion has been changed although not prompted by someone else

Document 15

From: Byron R. White
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 22nd, 1981
Action: Concur in Judgment
This refers to an opinion draft that concurs in the judgment or result

Document 16

From: William J. Brennan, Jr.
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 22nd, 1981
Action: Memos about Cert Votes
A justice's cert vote (grant, deny, or note probable jurisdiction, join three); suggest they grant cert for specific issue; discussion of which questions cert grant should be limited to; adhere to cert vote; memo about cert petition (e.g., listing it on the conference list (special order list)); case should be relisted; make suggestions to proposed questions in case; any memo about listing or relisting a case

Document 17

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 10th, 1981
Action: Per Curiam Opinion
This refers to a draft per curiam opinion

Document 18

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 10th, 1981
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 19

From: Byron R. White
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 11th, 1981
Action: Concurring Opinion Author's Response
May be response to a suggestion, the majority opinion, another separate opinion; it may say the author made changes and see the attached opinion; it may indicate the opinion has been changed although not prompted by someone else

Document 20

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 16th, 1981
Action: Per Curiam Opinion
This refers to a draft per curiam opinion

Document 21

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 16th, 1981
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