The Supreme Court of the United States, 1960-1961

URING EACH TERM of the Supreme Court of late the Court has been setting new records only to have those records surpassed at the following term. Once again a record total of cases was disposed of, 1,928, as compared with the record number of 1,822 disposed of in the preceding term. Incidentally, by way of comparison, in the record-setting 1953 term, the Court disposed of 1,303 cases. Another record was represented by the 385 cases remaining on the docket at the close of the 1960-61 term. During this term 148 cases were argued, of which 125 were decided by 110 signed opinions and 22 by per curiams. One case was ordered reargued, a not unusual proceeding. As to the statistics on the work of the Court, Mr. Justice Douglas retained his long-held championship in the area of dissenting opinions. This term he wrote twenty-five, more than double those of his nearest competitors, Mr. Justice Black and Mr. Justice Harlan. Mr. Justice Clark and Mr. Justice Whittaker were close behind with ten each, followed by Mr. Justice Frankfurter (nine), Mr. Justice Brennan (eight), Mr. Justice Stewart (six) and Mr. Chief Justice Warren (four). The work of the Court was divided rather evenly among the justices. Mr. Justice Black wrote fourteen opinions of the total of 110, Mr. Justice Douglas and Mr. Justice Clark, thirteen each, Mr. Justice Frankfurter, Mr. Justice Brennan, Mr. Justice Whittaker, and Mr. Justice Stewart, twelve each, and Mr. Chief Justice Warren and Mr. Justice Harlan, eleven each. In 30 per cent of the cases this term the Court was without dissent. There were twenty-eight 5-4 decisions as compared with twenty-six in the previous term. The Court adjourned on June 19, 1961. Due Process CIVIL LIBERTIES

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