Skip to content

Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org Inc.

Docket No. Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
18-1150 Dec 2, 2019 Apr 27, 2020 5-4 Roberts OT 2019

Holding: Under the government edicts doctrine, the annotations beneath the statutory provisions in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated are ineligible for copyright protection.

Judgment: Affirmed, 5-4, in an opinion by Chief Justice Roberts on April 27, 2020. Justice Thomas filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justice Alito joined in full and Justice Breyer joined except for Part II"A and footnote 6. Justice Ginsburg filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justice Breyer joined.

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
12/07/2018Application (18A598) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from January 17, 2019 to March 4, 2019, submitted to Justice Thomas.
12/20/2018Application (18A598) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until March 4, 2019.
03/01/2019Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 4, 2019)
03/22/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response from April 4, 2019 to May 3, 2019, submitted to The Clerk.
03/27/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including May 3, 2019.
04/04/2019Brief amicus curiae of The Software & Information Industry Association filed.
04/04/2019Brief amici curiae of Arkansas, et al. filed.
04/04/2019Brief amicus curiae of Matthew Bender & Co., Inc. filed.
05/01/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response from May 3, 2019 to May 10, 2019, submitted to The Clerk.
05/01/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including May 10, 2019.
05/06/2019Brief amici curiae of R Street Institute, et al. in support of respondent filed.
05/09/2019Brief amici curiae of Next-Generation Legal Research Platforms and Databases and Digital Accessibility Advocate in support of respondent filed.
05/10/2019Brief of respondent Public.Resource.Org, Inc. in opposition filed.
05/10/2019Brief amici curiae of 119 Law Students, et al. filed.
05/24/2019Reply of petitioners State of Georgia, et al. filed. (Distributed)
05/28/2019DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/13/2019.
06/17/2019DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/20/2019.
06/24/2019Petition GRANTED.
07/02/2019Joint motion for an extension of time to file the briefs on the merits filed.
07/09/2019Joint motion to extend the time to file the briefs on the merits granted. The time to file the joint appendix and petitioners' brief on the merits is extended to and including August 23, 2019. The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including October 9, 2019.
08/23/2019Joint appendix (3 Volumes) filed. (Statement of costs filed)
08/23/2019Brief of petitioners State of Georgia, et al. filed.
08/29/2019Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Home Builders in support of neither party filed.
08/30/2019Brief amicus curiae of United States filed.
08/30/2019Brief amici curiae of American Society For Testing And Materials, et al. in support of neither party filed.
08/30/2019Brief amicus curiae of The Software & Information Industry Association filed.
08/30/2019Brief amici curiae of Arkansas, et al. filed.
08/30/2019Brief amici curiae of International Code Council, Inc. and American Gas Association filed.
08/30/2019Brief amicus curiae of Matthew Bender & Co., Inc. filed.
08/30/2019Brief amicus curiae of The Copyright Alliance filed.
09/13/2019SET FOR ARGUMENT on Monday, December 2, 2019.
10/09/2019Brief of respondent Public.Resource.Org, Inc. filed.
10/11/2019Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.
10/11/2019Brief amici curiae of The R Street Institute, the Wikimedia Foundation, and Public Knowledge filed.
10/15/2019Brief amici curiae of 36 Computational Law Scholars filed.
10/15/2019Brief amicus curiae of Internet Association filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of The Center for Democracy and Technology and Cato Institute filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Current and Former Government Officials filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of American Library Association, et al. filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Professor Shyamkrishna Balganesh and Professor Peter S. Menell filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of 39 Law Students, 24 Solo and Small-Firm Practitioners of Law, and 38 Legal Educators filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of 116 Law Librarians and 5 Law Library Organizations filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Next-Generation Legal Research Platforms and Databases filed.
10/16/2019Corrected Certificate of Word Count with respect to amici brief of Next-Generation Legal Research Platforms and Databases filed. (Oct 23, 2019).
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press & 25 Media Organizations filed.
10/16/2019Brief amicus curiae of American Intellectual Property Association filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of The American Civil Liberties Union, et al. filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Brendan Keefe, in His Official Capacity as Chief Investigative Reporter for 11Alive Atlanta, and WXIA-TV filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and Human Rights Defense Center filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Electronic Privacy Information Center, et al. filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Print Disability Advocates filed.
10/16/2019Brief amici curiae of Law Professors Nina Mendelson, et al. filed.
10/16/2019Brief amicus curiae of Caselaw Access Project filed.
10/23/2019Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 11th Circuit.
10/25/2019CIRCULATED
11/04/2019Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED.
11/08/2019Reply of petitioners State of Georgia, et al. filed. (Distributed)
12/02/2019Argued. For petitioners: Joshua S. Johnson, Washington, D. C.; and Anthony A. Yang, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) For respondent: Eric F. Citron, Bethesda, Md.
04/27/2020Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Roberts, C. J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, JJ., joined. Thomas, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Alito, J., joined, and in which Breyer, J., joined as to all but Part II–A and footnote 6. Ginsburg, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Breyer, J., joined.
05/29/2020JUDGMENT ISSUED.