Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|none}}
{{SCOTUS series}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Reporter of Decisions
| body = the Supreme Court of the United States
| insignia = Seal of the United States Supreme Court.svg
| insigniasize = 125
| insigniacaption = Seal of the Supreme Court
| image =
| incumbent = [[Rebecca Anne Womeldorf]]
| incumbentsince = January 13, 2021
| department = [[Supreme Court of the United States]]
| style = Reporter
| status = [[Editor-in-chief]]<br>[[Publisher]]
| reports_to = [[Supreme Court of the United States]]<br>[[Chief Justice of the United States]]
| member_of =
| seat = [[United States Supreme Court Building|Supreme Court Building]], [[Washington, D.C.]]
| appointer = The Supreme Court
| appointer_qualified =
| termlength = No fixed term
| constituting_instrument = {{usc|28|673}}
| formation = 1817
| first = [[Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)|Alexander J. Dallas]]
| website = {{url|https://www.supremecourt.gov|www.supremecourt.gov}}
}}
The '''reporter of decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States''' is the official charged with editing and publishing the opinions of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]], both when announced and when they are published in permanent bound volumes of the ''[[United States Reports]].'' The reporter is responsible for only the contents of the ''United States Reports'' issued by the [[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Publishing Office]], first in preliminary prints and later in the final bound volumes.<ref>''See'': {{USC|28|673c}}</ref> The reporter is not responsible for the editorial content of unofficial reports of the court's decisions, such as the privately published ''[[Supreme Court Reporter]]'' and ''[[Lawyers' Edition]]''.


By [[Act of Congress|federal statute]], the reporter is appointed by the Supreme Court.<ref>''See'': {{USStat|3|376}}</ref> The office is currently held by [[Rebecca Anne Womeldorf]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Arberg |first=Kathleen |date=28 December 2020 |title=Rebecca Anne Womeldorf has been named the new Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States |url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_12-28-20 |access-date=24 June 2022 |publisher=Supreme Court of the United States |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>
The '''Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States''' is the official charged with editing and publishing the opinions of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]], both when announced and when they are published in permanent bound volumes of the ''[[United States Reports]].'' The Reporter of Decisions is responsible for only the contents of the ''United States Reports'' issued by the [[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]], first in preliminary prints and later in the final bound volumes.<ref>{{cite web
| title = ''See'' 28 U.S.C. §673(c)
| url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+28USC673
| accessdate = 2008-06-06 }}</ref> The Reporter is not responsible for the editorial content of unofficial reports of the Court's decisions, such as the privately published ''[[Supreme Court Reporter]]'' or ''[[Lawyers' Edition]]''.

The Reporter of Decisions is appointed by the Supreme Court.{{Citation needed|reason=I can't find a source for this, but the Wikipedia articles for the individual office holders seem to suggest that the Supreme Court decides who holds the office. [[Talk:Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States#Dearth of sources|See talk page]] for details.|date=July 2019}}


==History==
==History==
The first two reporters acted in an unofficial capacity. Only in 1816, after the Supreme Court had existed for a quarter-century, did Congress create an official post of reporter. It then added a $1,000 a year salary in the [[Judiciary Act of 1817]]. The reporter also profited from selling the printed volumes of the reports of decisions. In 1874, Congress for the first time appropriated funds to publish the volumes of the court's opinions; from that time the report was known as the ''United States Reports'' and numbering began as if the first volume by the first reporter, [[Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)|Alexander J. Dallas]], was number one. The Government Printing Office took over publication of the ''United States Reports'' in 1922.
The first two reporters acted in an unofficial capacity. Only in 1817 did [[United States Congress|Congress]] create the statutory office of reporter, with a $1,000 a year salary. The early reporters profited from selling the printed volumes of the reports of decisions. In 1874, Congress for the first time appropriated funds to publish the volumes of the court's opinions; from that time the report was known as the ''[[United States Reports]]'' and numbering began as if the first volume by the first reporter, [[Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)|Alexander J. Dallas]], was number one. The [[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] took over publication of the ''United States Reports'' in 1922. The title of court's reporter was changed to "Reporter of Decisions" in 1953, to clarify the duties of the office.<ref>{{cite web| title=Court Officers and Staff: Reporter of Decisions| url=https://www.fjc.gov/history/administration/court-officers-and-staff-reporter-decisions| website=fjc.gov| publisher=[[Federal Judicial Center]]| location=Washington, D.C.| access-date=February 23, 2020}}</ref>

The official title of this officer was changed from "Reporter" to "Reporter of Decisions" in 1953, to clarify the duties of the office at the request of Reporter [[Walter Wyatt]] with the authorization of Chief Justice [[Fred M. Vinson]].


==List of Reporters==
==List of reporters==
The reporters of decisions are listed here with their tenures and the volumes of the ''United States Reports'' they edited. Until volume 90, the volumes were also known by the name of the reporter and the numbers of those "''nominative reports''" are listed after the ''U.S. Reports'' numbers. The post was vacant from [[Ernest Knaebel]]'s death in 1944 and until 1946, at which point his replacement [[Walter Wyatt]] was chosen. Wyatt retroactively edited the ''United States Reports'' for those years, making volumes 322 to 325.
The 16 reporters of decisions are listed here with their tenures and the volumes of the ''United States Reports'' they edited. Through volume 90, the volumes were also known by the name of the reporter and the numbers of those "''nominative reports''" are listed after the ''United States Reports'' numbers.
<!-- The "Volumes edited" column of this table lists USR volumes 440 through 444 as if they were edited by both Putzel and Lind. Which one of them edited which volumes? [[Talk:Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States#Dearth of sources|See talk page]] for details. -->


{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
! # !! Name !! Term !! Volumes edited
! colspan=3 | Name !! Tenure !! Volumes edited
|-
|-
| 1 || data-sort-value="Dallas, Alexander J."|[[Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)|Alexander J. Dallas]] || 1790–1800 || 1–4 (1–4 Dallas)
| data-sort-value="Dallas, Alexander J."|1 ||[[File:Alexander James Dallas (1759–1817) 1873 26 lightened.jpeg|60px]] || [[Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)|Alexander J. Dallas]] || 1790–1800 || 1–4 (1–4 Dallas)
|-
|-
| 2 || data-sort-value="Cranch, William"|[[William Cranch]] || 1801–1815 || 5–13 (1–9 Cranch)
| data-sort-value="Cranch, William"|2 ||[[File:William Cranch portrait.jpg|60px]] || [[William Cranch]] || 1801–1815 || 5–13 (1–9 Cranch)
|-
|-
| 3 || data-sort-value="Wheaton, Henry"|[[Henry Wheaton]] || 1816–1827 || 14–25 (1–12 Wheat.)
| data-sort-value="Wheaton, Henry"|3 ||[[File:Henry Wheaton by George Peter Alexander Healy.png|60px]] || [[Henry Wheaton]] || 1816–1827 || 14–25 (1–12 Wheat.)
|-
|-
| 4 || data-sort-value="Peters, Richard"|[[Richard Peters (reporter)|Richard Peters]] || 1828–1842 || 26–41 (1–16 Pet.)
| data-sort-value="Peters, Richard"|4 ||[[File:Eastman Johnson, Richard Peters, c. 1842, NGA 180965 (cropped).jpg|60px]] || [[Richard Peters (reporter)|Richard Peters]] || 1828–1842 || 26–41 (1–16 Pet.)
|-
|-
| 5 || data-sort-value="Howard, Benjamin Chew"|[[Benjamin Chew Howard]] || 1843–1860 || 42–65 (1–24 How.)
| data-sort-value="Howard, Benjamin Chew"|5 ||[[File:Benjamin Chew Howard 1791-1872.jpg|60px]] || [[Benjamin Chew Howard]] || 1843–1860 || 42–65 (1–24 How.)
|-
|-
| 6 || data-sort-value="Black, Jeremiah Sullivan"|[[Jeremiah Sullivan Black]] || 1861–1862 || 66–67 (1–2 Black)
| data-sort-value="Black, Jeremiah S."|6 ||[[File:Judge Jeremiah Black.jpg|60px]] || [[Jeremiah S. Black]] || 1861–1862 || 66–67 (1–2 Black)
|-
|-
| 7 || data-sort-value="Wallace, John William"|[[John William Wallace]] || 1863–1874 || 68–90 (1–23 Wall.)
| data-sort-value="Wallace, John William"|7 ||[[File:John William Wallace - John Neagle (page 25 crop).jpg|60px]] || [[John William Wallace]] || 1863–1874 || 68–90 (1–23 Wall.)
|-
|-
| 8 || data-sort-value="Otto, William Tod"|[[William Tod Otto]] || 1875–1883 || 91–107
| data-sort-value="Otto, William Tod"|8 ||[[File:WilliamTodOtto.jpg|60px]] || [[William Tod Otto]] || 1875–1883 || 91–107
|-
|-
| 9 || data-sort-value="Davis, John Chandler Bancroft"|[[John Chandler Bancroft Davis]] || 1883–1902 || 108–186
| data-sort-value="Davis, J. C. Bancroft"|9 ||[[File:J. C. Bancroft Davis.jpg|60px]] || [[Bancroft Davis|J. C. Bancroft Davis]] || 1883–1902 || 108–186
|-
|-
| 10 || data-sort-value="Butler, Charles Henry"|[[Charles Henry Butler]] || 1902–1916 || 187–241
| data-sort-value="Butler, Charles Henry"|10 ||[[File:BUTLER, CHARLES HENRY LCCN2016860312.jpg|60px]] || [[Charles Henry Butler]] || 1902–1916 || 187–241
|-
|-
| 11 || data-sort-value="Knaebel, Ernest"|[[Ernest Knaebel]] || 1916–1944 || 242–321
| data-sort-value="Knaebel, Ernest"|11 || || [[Ernest Knaebel]] || 1916–1944 || 242–321
|-bgcolor=#eeebe6
| data-sort-value="Z, vacant"|{{center|–}} || || ''Office vacant'' || 1944–1946 || 322–325{{efn|Volumes 322–325 (1944–1946) were retroactively edited by Walter Wyatt after he became Reporter of Decisions in 1946.}}
|-
|-
| data-sort-value="Wyatt, Walter"|12 || || [[Walter Wyatt]] || 1946–1963 || 326–375
| N/A || ''Office vacant'' || 1944-1946 || N/A (volumes 322–325<br/> later edited by Wyatt)
|-
|-
| data-sort-value="Putzel Jr., Henry"|13 ||[[File:Henry Putzel Jr., Reporter of the Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, half-length portrait, facing front, seated at a desk in his office, surrounded by law books, Washington, D.C.tif|60px]] || [[Henry Putzel Jr.]] || 1964–1979 || 376–444
| 12 || data-sort-value="Wyatt, Walter"|[[Walter Wyatt]] || 1946–1963 || 322–375
|-
|-
| 13 || data-sort-value="Putzel Jr., Henry"|[[Henry Putzel Jr.]] || 1964–1979 || 376–444
| data-sort-value="Lind, Henry Curtis"|14 || || [[Henry Curtis Lind]] || 1979–1987 || 445–479
|-
|-
| data-sort-value="Wagner, Frank D."|15 || || [[Frank D. Wagner (lawyer)|Frank D. Wagner]] || 1987 –<br/> September 30, 2010<ref name="wagnerfallontransition">{{cite press release| title= Christine L. Fallon Named Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the U.S.| url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_03-07-11| publisher=Supreme Court of the United States| date=March 7, 2020| access-date=August 11, 2020}}</ref> || 480–561
| 14 || data-sort-value="Lind, Henry Curtis"|[[Henry Curtis Lind]] || 1979–1987 || 440–479
|-
|-
| data-sort-value="Fallon, Christine Luchok"|16 ||[[File:Christine Luchok Fallon.jpg|60px]] || [[Christine Luchok Fallon]] || March 3, 2011<ref name="wagnerfallontransition"/> –<br/> September 25, 2020 || 562–591
| 15 || data-sort-value="Wagner, Frank D."|[[Frank D. Wagner]] || 1987–2010 || 480–561
|-
|-
| data-sort-value="Womeldorf, Rebecca Anne"|17 || || [[Rebecca Anne Womeldorf]] || January 13, 2021<ref name="fallonwomeldorftransition">{{cite press release| title= Rebecca Womeldorf Named Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the U.S.| url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_12-28-20| publisher=Supreme Court of the United States| date=December 28, 2020| access-date=December 28, 2020}}</ref> –<br/> present || 592–
| 16 || data-sort-value="Fallon, Christine Luchok"|[[Christine Luchok Fallon]] || 2011–now || 562–
|-
! colspan=5 | Source:<ref>{{cite web| last=Joyce| first=Craig| title=Reporters of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States| publisher=University of Houston Law Center| location=Houston, Texas| series=Public Law and Legal Theory Series 2005-A-11| date=9 August 2005| url=https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=476013072022120123103078098091099095028032023043029030023008005088117108065127016070033000021120038125121110099020092003082027054048045092024010089070085020079046034046087074102101003104065065088103069006072072093027006104025087099007126102107094&EXT=pdfssrn=800884| access-date=February 23, 2020| ssrn=800884}} ([https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=670117070070071017066121029120080120031047031042055074081064125024121075069000088124049107118055103025009105119066110124081029032047054020092084088100066084066051058021092089002100096088084087101031121027105000084002098098022089073016107085117113&EXT=pdf&INDEX=TRUE PDF])</ref>
|}
|}
{{notelist}}


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 60: Line 81:
* [[Lists of United States Supreme Court cases by volume]]
* [[Lists of United States Supreme Court cases by volume]]
* [[Reporter of decisions]] for similar offices in other countries
* [[Reporter of decisions]] for similar offices in other countries
* [[United States Reports]]
* ''[[United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co.]]''
* ''[[United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co.]]''
* ''[[Wheaton v. Peters]]'', a dispute between two reporters that reached the Supreme Court
* ''[[Wheaton v. Peters]]'', a dispute between two reporters that reached the Supreme Court
Line 66: Line 86:
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* ''History of the Federal Judiciary: Judicial Administration and Organization, [http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/admin_03_07.html Reporter of Decisions]'' at the [[Federal Judicial Center]].
* [https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=468065099084002029002000110000120074002033009058089053073091101071090011069069127090056119012045118056006028027016068025114026014008042059109083025019087118080025065057006114024117099031021090004104109112107109025027091082118100069006076107000025&EXT=pdf Reporters of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States], [[Craig Joyce]], [[University of Houston Law Center]]


{{SCOTUS horizontal}}
{{SCOTUS horizontal}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reporter Of Decisions Of The Supreme Court Of The United States}}


[[Category:Supreme Court of the United States people]]
[[Category:Supreme Court of the United States people]]

Latest revision as of 14:19, 8 May 2024

Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States
Seal of the Supreme Court
Incumbent
Rebecca Anne Womeldorf
since January 13, 2021
Supreme Court of the United States
StyleReporter
StatusEditor-in-chief
Publisher
Reports toSupreme Court of the United States
Chief Justice of the United States
SeatSupreme Court Building, Washington, D.C.
AppointerThe Supreme Court
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument28 U.S.C. § 673
Formation1817
First holderAlexander J. Dallas
Websitewww.supremecourt.gov

The reporter of decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States is the official charged with editing and publishing the opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, both when announced and when they are published in permanent bound volumes of the United States Reports. The reporter is responsible for only the contents of the United States Reports issued by the Government Publishing Office, first in preliminary prints and later in the final bound volumes.[1] The reporter is not responsible for the editorial content of unofficial reports of the court's decisions, such as the privately published Supreme Court Reporter and Lawyers' Edition.

By federal statute, the reporter is appointed by the Supreme Court.[2] The office is currently held by Rebecca Anne Womeldorf.[3]

History[edit]

The first two reporters acted in an unofficial capacity. Only in 1817 did Congress create the statutory office of reporter, with a $1,000 a year salary. The early reporters profited from selling the printed volumes of the reports of decisions. In 1874, Congress for the first time appropriated funds to publish the volumes of the court's opinions; from that time the report was known as the United States Reports and numbering began as if the first volume by the first reporter, Alexander J. Dallas, was number one. The Government Printing Office took over publication of the United States Reports in 1922. The title of court's reporter was changed to "Reporter of Decisions" in 1953, to clarify the duties of the office.[4]

List of reporters[edit]

The 16 reporters of decisions are listed here with their tenures and the volumes of the United States Reports they edited. Through volume 90, the volumes were also known by the name of the reporter and the numbers of those "nominative reports" are listed after the United States Reports numbers.

Name Tenure Volumes edited
1 Alexander J. Dallas 1790–1800 1–4 (1–4 Dallas)
2 William Cranch 1801–1815 5–13 (1–9 Cranch)
3 Henry Wheaton 1816–1827 14–25 (1–12 Wheat.)
4 Richard Peters 1828–1842 26–41 (1–16 Pet.)
5 Benjamin Chew Howard 1843–1860 42–65 (1–24 How.)
6 Jeremiah S. Black 1861–1862 66–67 (1–2 Black)
7 John William Wallace 1863–1874 68–90 (1–23 Wall.)
8 William Tod Otto 1875–1883 91–107
9 J. C. Bancroft Davis 1883–1902 108–186
10 Charles Henry Butler 1902–1916 187–241
11 Ernest Knaebel 1916–1944 242–321
Office vacant 1944–1946 322–325[a]
12 Walter Wyatt 1946–1963 326–375
13 Henry Putzel Jr. 1964–1979 376–444
14 Henry Curtis Lind 1979–1987 445–479
15 Frank D. Wagner 1987 –
September 30, 2010[5]
480–561
16 Christine Luchok Fallon March 3, 2011[5]
September 25, 2020
562–591
17 Rebecca Anne Womeldorf January 13, 2021[6]
present
592–
Source:[7]
  1. ^ Volumes 322–325 (1944–1946) were retroactively edited by Walter Wyatt after he became Reporter of Decisions in 1946.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ See: 28 U.S.C. § 673c
  2. ^ See: 3 Stat. 376
  3. ^ Arberg, Kathleen (28 December 2020). "Rebecca Anne Womeldorf has been named the new Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States". Washington, D.C.: Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Court Officers and Staff: Reporter of Decisions". fjc.gov. Washington, D.C.: Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Christine L. Fallon Named Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the U.S." (Press release). Supreme Court of the United States. March 7, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "Rebecca Womeldorf Named Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the U.S." (Press release). Supreme Court of the United States. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  7. ^ Joyce, Craig (9 August 2005). "Reporters of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States". Public Law and Legal Theory Series 2005-A-11. Houston, Texas: University of Houston Law Center. SSRN 800884. Retrieved February 23, 2020. (PDF)