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Ins V. Delgado (1983)

 

Document 1

From: William J. Brennan, Jr.
To: John Paul Stevens
Copied: Thurgood Marshall
On: January 23rd, 1984
Action: Dissent Opinion Assignment
The memo may ask another justice to write a dissent; a justice may indicate that the dissent will not be assigned right now; memo responding to a dissent assignment (but not accepting assignment, which would be Code 204)

Document 2

From: John Paul Stevens
To: William J. Brennan, Jr.
Copied: Thurgood Marshall
On: January 23rd, 1984
Action: Will Dissent If...
Justice states conditions for a dissent, including a dissent in part; memo may also state conditions for withdrawing a dissenting opinion

Document 3

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: February 11th, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 4

From: John Paul Stevens
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 15th, 1984
Action: Join Majority If...
Justice sends memo to majority opinion author that states that the conditions under which the justice can or will not join the majority opinion; this includes memos with language like will join if..., will join the majority opinion if author makes changes suggested by another justice, or will join part of majority opinion if...; these memos may also state that a justice cannot join majority opinion if..., or could not join an opinion with a particular point, will withdraw join if...
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: Warren E. Burger
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 15th, 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: Conference
Copied: None
On: February 16th, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 7

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: John Paul Stevens
Copied: Conference
On: February 17th, 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

Document 8

From: John Paul Stevens
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 17th, 1984
Action: Join Majority If...
Justice sends memo to majority opinion author that states that the conditions under which the justice can or will not join the majority opinion; this includes memos with language like will join if..., will join the majority opinion if author makes changes suggested by another justice, or will join part of majority opinion if...; these memos may also state that a justice cannot join majority opinion if..., or could not join an opinion with a particular point, will withdraw join if...
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 9

From: Lewis F. Powell
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 17th, 1984
Action: May Join Majority Opinion
Memos where a justice states the intent to join the majority opinion later (e.g., may join majority; will probably join majority; could join majority; agree tentatively; inclined to join; close to joining; agrees generally; agree with most of opinion; in basic agreement; intend to join; am prepared to join; expect to join; expect to join part of majority opinion; join unless someone else dissents; will join majority opinion if no majority exists; join unless someone else persuades me
Action: May Write "Separate Opinion"
A memo where a justice states that he or she may (or will probably) write a "separate opinion"

Document 10

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 17th, 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 11

From: Byron R. White
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 17th, 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: William H. Rehnquist
To: John Paul Stevens
Copied: Conference
On: February 20th, 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

Document 13

From: John Paul Stevens
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 22nd, 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 14

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: February 23rd, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 15

From: Harry A. Blackmun
To: William H. Rehnquist
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 16

From: William J. Brennan, Jr.
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 27th, 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 17

From: Lewis F. Powell
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: March 5th, 1984
Action: Concur in Judgment
This refers to an opinion draft that concurs in the judgment or result

Document 18

From: Thurgood Marshall
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: March 7th, 1984
Action: Await Dissent
Justice indicates that he or she awaits a dissenting opinion, including opinions that dissent in part

Document 19

From: William J. Brennan, Jr.
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: March 28th, 1984
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 20

From: Thurgood Marshall
To: William J. Brennan, Jr.
Copied: Conference
On: March 30th, 1984
Action: Join Concur in Part and Dissent in Part
Memos where justices state that they join an opinion that concurs in part and dissents in part; alternatively, the opinion that is joined might concur in judgment and dissent. The identity of the opinion author who receives the join is located in the JOINED variable.

Document 21

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: March 30th, 1984
Action: Concurring Opinion
This refers to a concurring opinion draft

Document 22

From: Lewis F. Powell
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: April 2nd, 1984
Action: Concur in Judgment
This refers to an opinion draft that concurs in the judgment or result

Document 23

From: William J. Brennan, Jr.
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: April 4th, 1984
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 24

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: April 10th, 1984
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft