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Colorado V. New Mexico (1983)

 

Document 1

From: Byron R. White
To: Warren E. Burger
Copied: Conference
On: January 12th, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion Assignment
This may be an assignment of either the majority opinion or a memorandum opinion; memo may state that a justice has agreed to undertake the opinion of the Court; memo reassigns the case

Document 2

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: February 24th, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 3

From: Byron R. White
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: Conference
On: February 24th, 1984
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: Lewis F. Powell
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: Conference
On: February 24th, 1984
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 J. Brennan, Jr.
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: Conference
On: February 27th, 1984
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: William H. Rehnquist
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: Conference
On: March 1st, 1984
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: Harry A. Blackmun
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: Conference
On: March 7th, 1984
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 8

From: Thurgood Marshall
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: Conference
On: March 12th, 1984
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 9

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: Conference
On: March 13th, 1984
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)

Document 10

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: March 19th, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 11

From: Warren E. Burger
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: Conference
On: April 6th, 1984
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 12

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 29th, 1984
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 13

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 29th, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 14

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 30th, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 15

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 31st, 1984
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 16

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: May 31st, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 17

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: June 1st, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 18

From: Lewis F. Powell
To: Sanda Day O'Connor
Copied: None
On: June 1st, 1984
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 19

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: Lewis F. Powell
Copied: None
On: June 1st, 1984
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