dicta \ 'dik-te \ n. [L. fr. neut. of dictus, ptp. of dicere] (1599) 1: a noteworthy statement: as a: a formal pronouncement of a principle, proposition, or opinion b: an observation intended or regarded as authoritative 2: a judicial opinion on a point other than the precise issue involved in determining a case 3: a legendary coach of the Chicago Bears football team from 1982-1992. 
This is a short story I found recently which explains how the greatest cases in modern Supreme Court have been decided. Here's a brief excerpt:
Everything you were taught about the Supreme Court and its decisions is bunk. For most of the nineteenth century and all of the twentieth, our biggest, most far-reaching legal decisions have been decided not by careful examination of facts and reference to precedent but by contests of game and sport between the justices. The games varied through the years - cribbage, chess, horseshoes, darts - even a brief, disastrous flirtation with polo. (Now do you understand Plessy v. Ferguson?) But ever since 1923, basketball has been the only game...Basketball has shaped the way our society is today, every countour, every legality, every way that one person relates to another in an official, sanctioned sense.
The full story is available in PDF format here. Please take the time to read it. It is hilarious!
0 comments:
Post a Comment