Williams-Yulee v. The Florida Bar

Docket No.	Op. Below	Argument	Opinion	Vote	Author	Term
13-1499	Fla.	Jan 20, 2015	Apr 29, 2015	5-4	Roberts	OT 2014

Holding: Florida’s ban on the personal solicitation of campaign funds by candidates for judgeships does not violate the First Amendment.

Judgment: Affirmed, 5-4, in an opinion by Chief Justice Roberts on April 29, 2015. Chief Justices Roberts delivered the opinion of the Court, except as to Part II. Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan joined that opinion in full, and Justice Ginsburg joined except as to Part II. Justice Breyer filed a concurring opinion. Justice Ginsburg filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, in which Justice Breyer joined as to Part II. Justice Scalia filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justice Thomas joined. Justice Kennedy and Justice Alito filed dissenting opinions.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

Symposium: For judges only (Bob Corn-Revere, May 4, 2015)
Symposium: “Seem familiar?” and other random musings on Williams-Yulee (Josh Wheeler, May 4, 2015)
Symposium: Yes, it can hurt just to ask (Robert D. Durham, May 4, 2015)
Symposium: The judicial-elections exception to the First Amendment (Ilya Shapiro, May 4, 2015)
Symposium: Much ado about nothing? (Matthew Streb, April 30, 2015)
Symposium: The distinctive character of judging (Joseph Grodin, April 30, 2015)
Symposium: The Justices’ premises about judicial elections (Lawrence Baum, April 30, 2015)
Symposium: A rare case indeed (Jessica Ring Amunson, April 30, 2015)
Symposium: When strict scrutiny ceased to be strict (Floyd Abrams, April 30, 2015)
Foreword: Are elected state judges now “above the political fray”? (Ronald Collins, April 29, 2015)
In Plain English: Justices finally find speech they do not like – and it’s by (would-be) judges (Amy Howe, April 29, 2015)
Opinion analysis: A modest restraint on campaign fund-raising (Lyle Denniston, April 29, 2015)
Justices debate limits on solicitations by judges: In Plain English (Amy Howe, January 21, 2015)
Argument analysis: Running for a court seat, tin cup in hand? (Lyle Denniston, January 20, 2015)
The First Amendment and campaign solicitations: In Plain English (Amy Howe, January 20, 2015)
Argument preview: Judges, politics, and money (Lyle Denniston, January 19, 2015)
SCOTUS for law students: Financing judicial elections (Stephen Wermiel, December 23, 2014)
Petition of the day (Maureen Johnston, August 27, 2014)

Date	Proceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
Jun 17 2014	Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 18, 2014)
Jun 30 2014	Waiver of right of respondent The Florida Bar to respond filed.
Jul 9 2014	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of September 29, 2014.
Jul 24 2014	Response Requested . (Due August 25, 2014)
Aug 22 2014	Brief of respondent The Florida Bar in opposition filed.
Aug 26 2014	Reply of petitioner Lanell Williams-Yulee filed.
Sep 3 2014	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of September 29, 2014.
Oct 2 2014	Petition GRANTED.
Nov 12 2014	Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner Lanell Williams-Yulee.
Nov 17 2014	Brief of petitioner Lanell Williams-Yulee filed.
Nov 21 2014	SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Nov 24 2014	Brief amici curiae of American Civil Liberties Union, et al., filed.
Nov 24 2014	Brief amici curiae of Randolph Wolfson, et al. filed.
Nov 24 2014	Brief amicus curiae of The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression filed.
Nov 24 2014	Brief amicus curiae of Cameron A. Blau filed.
Dec 1 2014	Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner GRANTED.
Dec 2 2014	Record requested from Supreme Court of Florida.
Dec 8 2014	Record received from Supreme Court of Florida. The record is electronic.
Dec 12 2014	CIRCULATED.
Dec 17 2014	Brief of respondent The Florida Bar filed. (Distributed)
Dec 19 2014	Brief amici curiae of Free Speech for People, and James C. Nelson filed. (Distributed)
Dec 22 2014	Brief amicus curiae of Professor Jed Shugerman filed. (Distributed).
Dec 23 2014	Brief amici curiae of Professors of Law, Economics, and Political Science filed. (Distributed)
Dec 23 2014	Brief amici curiae of Public Citizen, Inc. and Democracy 21 filed. (Distributed).
Dec 23 2014	Brief amici curiae of States of Arizona, et al., filed. (Distributed)
Dec 23 2014	Brief amici curiae of State and Local Judicial Reform Groups filed. (Distributed)
Dec 23 2014	Brief amici curiae of Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Dec 23 2014	Brief amicus curiae of The Carter Center filed. (Distributed)
Dec 24 2014	Brief amicus curiae of Conference of Chief Justices filed. (Distributed)
Dec 24 2014	Brief amici curiae of Thomas R. Phillips, et al., filed. (Distributed).
Dec 24 2014	Brief amici curiae of Major B. Harding, et al., filed. (Distributed).
Dec 24 2014	Brief amicus curiae of American Bar Association filed. (Distributrd).
Dec 24 2014	Brief amici curiae of Norman Dorsen, et al., filed. (Distributed)
Jan 13 2015	Reply of petitioner Lanell Williams-Yulee filed. (Distributed)
Jan 20 2015	Argued. For petitioner: Andrew J. Pincus, Washington, D. C. For respondent, Barry Richard, Tallahassee, Fla.
Apr 29 2015	Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Roberts, C. J., delivered the opinion of the Court, except as to Part II. Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, JJ., joined that opinion in full, and Ginsburg, J., joined except as to Part II. Breyer, J., filed a concurring opinion. Ginsburg, J., filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, in which Breyer, J., joined as to Part II. Scalia, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Thomas, J., joined. Kennedy, J., and Alito, J., filed dissenting opinions.
Jun 1 2015	MANDATE ISSUED.

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