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Delaware V. Van Arsdall (1985)

 

Document 1

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: February 12th, 1986
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 2

From: Lewis F. Powell
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 13th, 1986
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: Conference
Copied: None
On: February 14th, 1986
Action: Majority Opinion
This refers to a majority opinion draft

Document 4

From: Sanda Day O'Connor
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 18th, 1986
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: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: None
On: February 19th, 1986
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 6

From: William J. Brennan, Jr.
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: February 19th, 1986
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: William H. Rehnquist
To: William J. Brennan, Jr.
Copied: None
On: February 20th, 1986
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: Byron R. White
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: February 22nd, 1986
Action: Concur in Judgment
This refers to an opinion draft that concurs in the judgment or result

Document 9

From: Thurgood Marshall
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: March 13th, 1986
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 10

From: John Paul Stevens
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: March 17th, 1986
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 11

From: Warren E. Burger
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: March 18th, 1986
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: Harry A. Blackmun
To: William H. Rehnquist
Copied: Conference
On: March 19th, 1986
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: March 20th, 1986
Action: Concur in Judgment
This refers to an opinion draft that concurs in the judgment or result

Document 14

From: Thurgood Marshall
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: March 25th, 1986
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 15

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: March 28th, 1986
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 16

From: John Paul Stevens
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: April 3rd, 1986
Action: Dissenting Opinion
This refers to a dissenting opinion draft, including dissents from denial of certiorari if in opinion form

Document 17

From: William H. Rehnquist
To: Conference
Copied: None
On: April 14th, 1986
Action: Proposes Disposition of Held Cases
Memo lists cases held for an opinion and gives cert votes or votes on the merits for the held cases; justice may state that held cases should be discussed at conference