The Lexicon Remains a Fortress: An Update

Abstract:     
The articles examine the use of dictionaries by the United States Supreme Court and in appendices they list (1) every term ever defined by a dictionary in a Supreme Court opinion; (2) every case where a Supreme Court Justice has used a dictionary in an opinion; and (3) every dictionary used by a Supreme Court Justice.

This update evaluates the Supreme Court Justices continued use of dictionaries, noting that while they still rely upon dictionaries to a great degree, there are signs that the Justices might be becoming more concerned about the broad use of dictionaries in court opinions.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 19

Keywords: dictionary, dictionaries, supreme court, lexicon

JEL Classification: K10, K40

Accepted Paper Series