A West Virginia University researcher is studying newly released records of private communications between U.S. Supreme Court justices to learn how they interact and relate behind the scenes.
Justice John Paul Stevens donated records, writings, opinion drafts and memos between himself and other justices to the Library of Congress upon his death. To compile and analyze these documents from Stevens’ 1975-2004 tenure on the Supreme Court, Jonathan King, assistant professor of political science in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, will be traveling with graduate students to Washington.
“It’s a treasure trove of things like conversations, opinions and general musings,” King said of the files. “What happens in the Supreme Court is often behind the scenes. These give us access into how justices interact with each other and how they’re thinking about cases. Most justices don’t release this kind of data. It goes against court decorum, especially when the other justices are still on the bench.”
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