Judicial influence on the Supreme Court is exercised through written opinions

Evidence

Still, it is difficult to present a fully developed argument on complex legal issues orally, and it is certainly difficult to follow such an argument. Thus, intellectual leadership on the Court is likely to manifest itself more in written opinions than in debate during conference. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 945

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to course theme of how judges interpret and apply law through opinion writing as the central judicial act. — connects to: Appellate courts review lower rulings and decide by written opinions. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 571; Written interchange among appellate judges shapes and narrows final opinions — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 577; The chief justice assigns majority opinions or yields to the senior associate when dissenting — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 946 (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Written opinions and the craft of judging constrain judicial value-based decision making. #expands (0.83) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2543
• Judicial opinions mask value judgments behind a surface of logical form. #complicates (0.82) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1290
• Opinion-drafting dialogue among appellate judges shapes or narrows their collective decisions #expands (0.80) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 577
• Common law legitimacy derives from published judicial opinions and public reasoning. #expands (0.78) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 115
• Judges’ attitudes cannot be reliably inferred from opinion rhetoric #complicates (0.78) — Richard A. Posner, What Has Pragmatism to Offer Law?, 120
• Appellate courts differ from trial courts by focusing on legal analysis in written opinions. #corroborates (0.76) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2440