I suggested in this Slate piece that Justice Ginsburg decided to pull an all nighter to write her dissent as a “5 am wake up call” on the issue of voting rights. Now comes some confirmation.
But Justice Ginsburg, speaking at the University of California’s Washington Center, said she “decided this case really needs a dissent to highlight how far Texas had gone, and the populations that would be most affected by the voter ID” requirements.
She said she worked in her chambers till 10 p.m., then went home and kept working until dawn. The court released the Texas order and the dissent, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan , at 5:05 a.m.
Having turned in her assignment, the 81-year-old justice was a bit too wired to hit the hay. “I didn’t sleep at 5 a.m. either. I took a leisurely shower,” then wound down with some reading, she said.
And like many a student, Justice Ginsburg said she wished she had had a bit more time.
“I would have liked to have held it for one more read. Maybe I would have caught the error if I had done that,” Justice Ginsburg said.
On the small error, see here.