Journal of Supreme Court History

Introduction Melvin I. Urofsky Chairman, Board of Editors This issue of the Journal contains a rather diverse set of articles. One of them, by Frank Wagner, derives from the 2000 lecture series called “The Art of the Written Word” that the Society is sponsoring at the Court. These lec­ tures explore the literary side ofthe Court, one not often examined. Frank Wagner, the Re­ porter of Decisions, traces the role of the Reporter through history and describes his current duties. As it turned out, we also received an arti­ cle from Judge Jon Newman on a literary sub­ ject. His article recounts problems he faced when trying to hunt down a correct citation for an old case. Those of us who now face three different reporter citations for nearly every case may never confront such a prob­ lem, but scholars—and jurists—working in earlier eras do so routinely. We are also pleased to offer the winning entry of the Hughes-Gossett Student Essay Prize. For those of you unfamiliar with this award, let me say a few words. For a number of years, the Society has awarded the annual Hughes-Gossett Prize to the best article sub­ mitted to the Journal. Several years ago, the Publications Committee approved the offering ofa second Hughes-Gossett Prize. This would go to an article written while the author was a student in college, graduate school, or law school. In doing this, we are tracking what many other scholarly societies do as a way of encouraging younger scholars, and we have been very pleased with the results. Our win­ ners have indeed come from colleges, gradu­ ate schools, and law schools, and from all over the country. This year’s winner, Jeffrey An­ derson, wrote his prize essay while a master’s student at the University ofVirginia, under the direction of Professor Charles McCurdy. These pages also offer a glimpse into one of the forthcoming volumes of The Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Devise History of the Supreme Court. Professor William Wiecek of Syracuse University Law School is writing the volume on the Stone and Vinson Courts, and we are delighted that he has agreed to publish in the Journal an excerpt from that volume about the infamous Willie Francis case. v vi JOURNAL OF SUPREME COURT HISTORY This issue also offers us an excerpt from the Society’s latest publication, Supreme Court Decisions and Women’s Rights: Milestones to Equality (CQ Press, 2001), a reference book for high school and college students. The editor of that work, Clare Cushman, who also serves as the Journal’s managing editor, has contributed an essay ex­ amining the history of women advocates be­ fore the Supreme Court. The Journal’s ver­ sion has been somewhat modified to feature full documentation as well as some correc­ tions and additional material. Finally, you will find a book review by yours truly of Lucas A. Powe Jr.’s new look at the Warren Court. By placing Supreme Court decisions in a larger societal context, Powe has restored my faith in political science. As usual, the variety of history about the Court continues to fascinate scholars and, we hope, our readers as well. ...