The Early Brief Gets the Worm
Fair Courts E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Adam Chandler
Source: Slate
Date: 12/05/2008
Essay by Adam Chandler argues that despite the fact that "amicus briefs filed before the [U.S. Supreme] court grants cert are much rarer, and, accordingly, more influential," liberal advocacy groups often fail to use this tool. Pro-business, anti-regulatory, and ideologically conservative private groups and advocacy organizations "most frequently urge the court to take a case" and for liberal groups "to cede the cert-stage battleground is to forfeit a key phase of the war." Essay references a Caldeira and Wright study showing "that the chances of a case being heard by the court increase with the number of amicus briefs filed, whether or not they recommend or discourage granting the case."