Jill Barton, director of the Legal Communication and Research Skills (LComm) Program and professor of legal writing, discussed her recent book, The Supreme Guide to Writing, with the ABA Journal’s podcast The Modern Law Library and NPR’s podcast Life Elsewhere. The ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles discussed Barton’s findings and what some of the bigger surprises were. Listen to the podcast here. NPR’s Norman B. interviewed Barton and delved into how she analyzed over 10,000 pages of Supreme Court opinions, which revealed that the Justices have a sense of humor. Listen to the podcast here.
Barton is a former appellate judicial clerk and an award-winning journalist. Her latest book analyzing the writing style of U.S. Supreme Court justices, The Supreme Guide to Writing, was published by Oxford University Press in September 2024. She also has authored So Ordered: The Writer’s Guide for Aspiring Judges, Judicial Clerks, and Interns (Wolters Kluwer 2017). She also co-authored The Handbook for the New Legal Writer (Aspen 2023), a popular law school textbook now in its third edition that aims to demystify the process of legal writing and inspire beginning and experienced legal writers.
