OT2013 opinion announcements
on Oct 20, 2014 at 10:59 am
At the beginning of every Term, the Court releases the complete recordings of sessions to the National Archives and Records Administration. Oyez has collected these recordings and posted audio of all opinion announcements, including dissents from the bench, from OT2013.
During the last Term, the Court addressed hot-button issues ranging from affirmative action to campaign finance reform, which led some of the Justices to vocalize their dissents. Highlights include:
Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s first dissent from the bench, in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action:
“My colleagues endorse this political restructuring because it is the product of democratic action, but to know the history of our nation is to understand that democratically approved legislation has often discriminated against minorities.”
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissenting in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby:
“The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the nation this Court appreciated over two decades ago has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.”
Justice Antonin Scalia concurring in the judgment in National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning:
“The majority in this case performs the neat trick of giving recess its informal colloquial meaning but session its formal meaning. Why? Because otherwise the presidential appointment would last only until the next 10-day break.”
Justice Stephen Breyer dissenting in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission:
“If the Court in Citizens United opened a door, today’s decision we fear will open a flood gate.”
