Which law schools groomed the oral advocates who appear at the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and where are these law schools most conspicuously represented among the state’s private firms and state agencies? Since our last post on the topic,[1] four terms have passed, leaving abundant data to explore in today’s update.[Continue Reading…]
Law School Representation Rates: An Update, 2019-20 through 2022-23
September 19, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Wisconsin Supreme Court Statistics, 1937-38
September 5, 2023 by Leave a Comment
These tables are derived from information contained in 303 Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions that were turned up in a Nexis Uni search for decisions filed between September 1, 1937, and August 31, 1938. The total of 303 decisions does not include various orders pertaining to petitions, motions, and the like. In particular, cases are not included if they were decided during the previous term but appeared in the search results because motions for reconsideration were not rejected until 1937-38. Also excluded are lawyer disciplinary rulings and Bender v. Bain, a deadlocked (3-3) per curiam decision.
When two or more cases were, in effect, consolidated—one was simply said to be ruled by the decision in the other—the cases are counted as only one: (1) Kalb v. Luce and Kalb v. Feuerstein; and (2) Liberty v. Liberty (226 Wis. 136) and Liberty v. Liberty (226 Wis. 141).
In Bechthold v. Wauwatosa the court filed its original decision on February 15, 1938. After a motion for rehearing was granted, and the case was reargued, the court ruled on June 21, 1938, that its February 15 decision was in error and replaced its previous mandate with a new ruling. Both decisions are included in our tables. So, too, with State ex rel. Wisconsin Development Authority v. Dammann (January 11, 1938, and June 21, 1938).
The tables are available as a complete set and by individual topic in the subsets listed below.
Four-to-Three Decisions
Decisions Arranged by Vote Split
Frequency of Justices in the Majority
Distribution of Opinion Authorship
Frequency of Agreement Between Pairs of Justices
Oral Arguments: The Most Active Firms, 2018-19 through 2022-23
August 22, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Today we’ll extend the focus on law firms that prevailed during the fantasy league season by providing an update on the most visible firms over the past five years.[1] Our gaze covers private firms and non-profit organizations,[2] seeking those … [Continue reading]
A new blog on the Wisconsin Supreme Court
August 13, 2023 by Leave a Comment
For information on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the 2023-24 term, take a look at a new blog by Dustin Brown, a legal-writing professor at the University of Wisconsin’s law school. It’s called SCOWblog and contains, along with posts on the current … [Continue reading]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Statistics, 1938-39
August 2, 2023 by Leave a Comment
These tables are derived from information contained in 337 Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions that were turned up in a Nexis Uni search for decisions filed between September 1, 1938, and August 31, 1939. The total of 337 decisions does not include … [Continue reading]
The 2022-23 Fantasy League Medalists
July 28, 2023 by Leave a Comment
This season did not lack surprises. Last year’s runaway champion, the Waivers, tumbled to third place, while the Writs—45 points off the pace a year ago—held off a late charge from the Gavels of the State Public Defender’s Office to claim the … [Continue reading]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Statistics, 2022-23
July 24, 2023 by Leave a Comment
These tables are derived from information contained in 45 Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions filed between September 1, 2022, and the end of the court’s term in the summer of 2023. The total of 45 decisions omits orders pertaining to various motions, … [Continue reading]
The 2022-23 Term: Some More Impressions
July 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Today we’ll supplement last week’s post with findings on four additional topics: (1) the length of decisions; (2) the number of concurrences and dissents; (3) the number of days between oral argument and decision filing; and (4) the frequency of … [Continue reading]
The Supreme Court’s 2022-23 Term: Some Initial Impressions
July 12, 2023 by 1 Comment
Now that the court has filed its final substantive decision of the term, the time has arrived for our annual statistical examination of the justices’ activity. Interesting topics abound, including the surprising number of decisions, the issue of … [Continue reading]
Law Firm Fantasy League
July 8, 2023 by Leave a Comment
A pair of decisions filed on June 30 rewarded the Gavels of the State Public Defender’s Office (five points for a brief and oral argument in State v. A. G.) and the Waivers (five points from Quarles & Brady for a brief and oral argument in … [Continue reading]
