Dissents from the Bench: A Compilation of Oral Dissents Issued by U.S. Supreme Court Justices

Abstract:     
Oral dissents identify some of the Supreme Court justices’ most deeply held minority opinions. While print dissents are published routinely, oral dissents are not systematically tracked. This article presents the results of our AALL grant-funded project to locate oral dissents issued from October 1969 through today, discusses the methodology used in compiling our list, and describes various aspects of oral dissents that may make some more difficult to find. This project was funded by the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Research Fund: An Endowment Established by Lexis-Nexis.

Keywords: oral dissent, dissent, opinion announcement, bench statement, Supreme Court, Supreme Court justices

JEL Classifications: K00

Accepted Paper Series