The chief justice assigns majority opinions or yields to the senior associate when dissenting
Evidence
When the case is a momentous one, the chief justice typically assigns himself the opinion, as Chief Justice Warren did in Brown v. Board of Education, and as Chief Justice Burger did in United States v. Nixon. If the chief justice is in dissent, then the senior associate justice aligned with the majority assigns the opinion of the Court. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 946
Categorization
- DEFINE: Establishes the rule for who assigns the opinion of the Court (chief in majority, senior associate otherwise) — key institutional structure.
- XREF: connects to: Opinion assignment shifts to the senior majority justice when the chief justice dissents. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1567; Rotating opinion assignment makes assigned judges unusually influential on appellate panels — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1597; Judicial influence on the Supreme Court is exercised through written opinions — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 945 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- Opinion assignment shifts to the senior majority justice when the chief justice dissents.
#corroborates(0.90) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1567 - Collegial courts make decisions through group conference and majority-coalition opinion assignment
#expands(0.78) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1597 - Judicial influence on the Supreme Court is exercised through written opinions
#qualifies(0.75) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 945 - Rotating opinion assignment makes assigned judges unusually influential on appellate panels
#expands(0.72) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1597