“Call for Papers: The Best of the Most/Least, Best/Worst, Etc./Etc. of the U.S. Supreme Court”

Green Bag:

We invite submissions for our fourth micro-symposium, to be published in the Green Bag and the Journal of Law. Theme: The Top Ten Rankings of the Supreme Court. This is inspired, obviously, by Rick Hasen’s The Most Sarcastic Justice (see page 215 below), and Jay Wexler’s “Laugh Track” studies (see, e.g., 9 GREEN BAG 2D 59 (2005)). What makes Hasen and Wexler and their work special are their combinations of scholarly rigor, good humor, and cleverness – rare mixes in a sea of sloppy, snarky, partial, and partisan most/ least, best/worst, etc./etc. commentary about the Justices and their court. Hasen and Wexler are, in the best sense of the term, old school, like Currie and Easterbrook. See, e.g., David P. Currie, The Most Insignificant Justice: A Preliminary Inquiry, 50 U. CHI. L. REV. 466 (1983); Frank H. Easterbrook, The Most Insignificant Justice: Further Evidence, 50 U. CHI. L. REV. 481 (1983). We want more of that. Invited topics: Any original and empirical study involving some kind of ranking of the Justices or their work, accompanied by illuminating analysis and commentary, that will help readers better understand the Supreme Court of the United States, the people who work there, and the products of their labors. Length limit: 1,500 words, including title, text, footnotes, author notes, and everything else. (Yes, yes, we allowed Hasen and Wexler more than that, but they were the pioneers, at least for this generation. First pigs to the trough and all that.) Deadline: Finished works must be received at editors@greenbag. org by August 1, 2015. No extensions will be granted and no postdeadline tinkering will be permitted. Selection criteria: We will select works for publication based on how original, interesting, well-researched, well-written, potentially useful, and good-spirited they are.

Share this: