Legal strategy paired surprise filings with deliberate control of public narrative

Evidence

The element of surprise was an important part of the legal strategy, making it imperative that the details of the complaint were not leaked publicly. It was said over and over: “This case will be tried in two courts—the Court of Law and the Court of Public Opinion—and we must prevail in both.” — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 856

Categorization

• SEED: The ‘two courts’ framing — public opinion plus law — is a reusable lens for any institutional-restitution story.
• XREF: connects to: Officials can blur their lawbreaking by focusing public attention on popular ends — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 958; Public scandals often merely license rules platforms already wanted — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 228; Amicus briefs serve strategic, ideological, and signaling purposes beyond litigant support — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 935