Exemplary Nominees and a Colorful Puzzle: Previewing the 2016 Almanac & Reader

Abstract

The “Exemplary Legal Writing” ballots are in the mail. During 2015, judges and other legal scholars nominated judicial opinions and law review articles for our annual collection of exemplary legal writing. Those nominators are now voting for what they believe to be the most especially exemplary of those nominees. In a few weeks we will tally the votes and then publish the top vote-getters in the 2016 Green Bag Almanac & Reader. We had planned to honor exemplary writing in four categories, but we ended up with just three, for a reason that will become obvious if you keep reading. In addition, like every Green Bag Almanac & Reader, this year’s will have — in addition to the “Exemplary Legal Writing” honorees — our perennially popular annual reviews: Bryan Garner’s The Year in Language & Writing; Greg Jacob and Rakesh Kilaru’s The Year in Law; Tony Mauro’s A Term in the Life of the Supreme Court; and; Kevin Underhill’s A Year of Lowering the Bar. We will also have our customary thematic “useful and entertaining tidbits.” Like last year’s Almanac & Reader, this year’s will have a Sherlock Holmes/John Watson theme. This time we will focus on two stories: “The Reigate Puzzle” (one of the classics) and “The Field Bazaar” (a somewhat obscure and controversial vignette).