Catchword: hold five

Filed Under: English, Government, Law

Part of Speech: v. phr.

Quotation: As the justices write and circulate their drafts, colleagues might have second thoughts about how they voted right after oral arguments. The author of the opinion for the court tries not to lose the majority (five of the nine). “Holding five,” as it is called, means the author must make compromises. But a compromise for one justice might drive another one to the dissenting side. In a close case, justices writing a dissent hope to pick off a vacillating justice by exploring potential weaknesses in the majority’s reasoning.

Article or Document Title:
“June offers no respite for Supreme Court justices” (URL)

Author:
Joan Biskupic

Article, Document, Publication, Web Site:
USA Today

Dateline:
Washington, D.C.

Date of Publication:
June 5, 2007

This catchword has yet to be researched.