Certworthy Summer 2006 TM The newsletter of the DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee In This Issue… A Primer on Motions for Summary Affirmance in the Federal Courts A Primer on Motions for of Appeals ............................. 1 Appellate Advocacy Leadership Committee ............................ 2 Summary Affirmance in the Regional Editor Listing .......... 4 From the Chair: Federal Courts of Appeals The Hit Programs Keep Coming ................................. 5 Ralph W. Johnson, III late system and the judges who staff From The Editor: Halloran & Sage LLP it. The statistics in the 2005 Report Authors, Authors ................. 6 Hartford, CT from the Director of the Administra- The Ten Commandments Cases and [email protected] tive Office confirm that there is no the Establishment Clause: Is “Location, Location, Location” end in sight to the “crisis of volume” the New Three-Part Test?.... 11 For a variety of reasons, the image of that the federal courts of appeals have Circuit Reports ..................... 17 appellate attorneys as practicing law been battling since the 1990s. The First Circuit ........................ 17 from “Ivory Towers” is a quickly van- caseload faced by these courts is, in a Sec ond Circuit ................... 18 ishing one. Given the high cost of word, “overwhelming.” For example, Third Circuit ...................... 19 litigation, appellate attorneys, like Fourth Circuit .................... 20 Table B to the Director’s report indi- Fifth Circuit........................ 21 other litigators, must be sensitive to cates that there was a 9.1 percent in- Sixth Circuit ....................... 23 the financial burden that litigation crease in number of appeals filed in Eighth Circuit..................... 24 imposes on their clients and must Fiscal Year 2005 (68,473) in the re- Ninth Circuit ...................... 25 look for opportunities to minimize gional courts of appeals over the num- Eleventh Circuit ................. 26 that burden. The need for sensitivity ber filed in Fiscal Year 2004 D.C. Circuit ........................ 27 Writer’s Corner: and creativity is particularly impor- (62,762). This increase marks the The Anatomy of an Effective tant where there appears to be mini- tenth consecutive, record-breaking Reply Brief.......................... 29 mal or no merit to an adversary’s year for the number of appeals filed. Advocate’s Forum: appeal. Of the 68,473 appeals filed in 2005, The Dynamics of Appellate Oral While being sensitive to the finan- 28,559 were pro se. Argument ............................ 31 Browsing the Bookshelf: cial burden imposed on their clients, As a result of the ever-growing Sandra Day O’Connor: How the appellate attorneys must simulta- caseload, federal circuit judges and First Woman on the Supreme neously navigate their cases through the staffs on their courts are receptive Court Became its Most Influential the courts of appeals towards a hope- to procedures that will help them re- Member, by Joan M. fully successful result. To meet this solve appeals within a reasonable Biskupic .............................. 33 Subcommittee Report: challenge, they must be aware of the time. They are also receptive to pro- Amicus, Publications ............ 35 pressures faced by the federal appel- cedures that reduce the quantity of ©2006 DRI. All rights reserved continued on page 7 APPELLATE ADVOCACY COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP Chair Publications Chair Legislative/Rulemaking Liaison R. Daniel Lindahl Raymond P. Ward Bullivant Houser Bailey, P.C. Adams and Reese LLP TBA 300 Pioneer Tower 701 Poydras Street, 45th 888 S.W. Fifth Ave. Floor Web Page Chair Portland, OR 97204 New Orleans, LA 70139 TBA (503) 499-4614 (504) 585-0339 (503) 295-0915 – fax (504) 566-0210 – fax Teleconference Chair [email protected] [email protected] Matthew S. Lerner Publications Vice Chair Goldberg Segalla Vice Chair Diane R. Crowley 8 Southwoods Blvd Ste 300 Scott P. Stolley Law Offices of Diane R. Albany, NY 12211-2526 Thompson & Knight L.L.P. Crowley (518) 463-5400 1700 Pacific Ave Ste 3300 727 Contra Costa Ave. (518) 463-5420 – fax Dallas, TX 75201 Berkeley, CA 94707 [email protected] 214-969-1678 (510) 524-1531 214-969-1751 – fax [email protected] E-Discovery Liaison [email protected] TBA Program Chair Membership Chair Diane B. Bratvold Corporate Involvement Douglas J. Collodel Rider Bennett L.L.P. Mary Massaron Ross Sedgwick Detert Moran & 33 S 6th St, Suite 4900 Plunkett & Cooney Arnold Minneapolis, MN 55402 Buhl Building 801 S. Figueroa Street, (612) 340-7966 535 Griswold St. Suite 2400 18th Floor (612) 337-7566 – fax Detroit, MI 48226 Los Angeles, CA 90017- [email protected] (313) 983-4801 5556 (313) 983-4350 – fax (213) 426-6900 Diversity Liaison [email protected] (213) 426-6921 – fax Christina Alonso [email protected] Carlton Fields, P.A. Robert W. Powell 100 S.E. Second St Ste. 4000 Ford Motor Co. Membership Vice Chair Miami, Fl. 33131 3 Parklane Boulevard Jeffrey A. Cohen (305) 539-7339 300 Parklane Towers West Carlton Fields (305) 530-0055 – fax Dearborn, MI 48126-2568 4000 International Place [email protected] (313) 621-6402 100 S.E. Second Street (313) 248-7727 – fax Miami, FL 33131-9101 DRI Board Liaison [email protected] (305) 539-7289 Robert B. Delano, Jr. (305) 530-0055 fax Law Institute Liaison Sands Anderson Marks [email protected] 801 E. Main St., Ste 1800 Nell E. Mathews Rider Bennett LLP Marketing Chair Richmond, VA 23218 804-783-7268 33 S 6th St Ste 4900 TBA 804-783-2926 – fax Minneapolis, MN 55402 [email protected] (612) 340-8970 Amicus Chair (612) 340-7900 – fax Nancy Ciampa [email protected] Carlton Fields, P.A. 4000 International Place 100 S.E. Second Street P.O. Box 019101 Miami, Florida 33131-9101 (305) 539-7280 (305) 530-0055 – fax [email protected] 2 Certworthy Summer 2006 Public Relations Contacts Steering Committee Diane B. Bratvold David M. Axelrad Nancy C. Ciampa East Horvitz & Levy Linda T. Coberly Mary Massaron Ross 15760 Ventura Blvd 18th Fl Jeffrey A. Cohen Plunkett & Cooney Encino, CA 91436-3000 Douglas J. Collodel Buhl Building (818) 995-0800 Diane R. Crowley 535 Griswold St. (818) 995-3157 – fax Michael B. King Suite 2400 [email protected] Matthew Lerner Detroit, MI 48226 R. Daniel Lindahl (313) 983-4801 Susan Ford Robertson Mary Massaron Ross (313) 983-4350 – fax Ford Parshall and Baker Scott B. Smith [email protected] PO Box 1097 Scott P. Stolley Columbia, MO 65205 Michael B. Wallace Central (573) 449-2613 Raymond P. Ward TBA (573) 875-8154 – fax [email protected] Newsletter Editors Raymond P. Ward West Roger W. Hughes Diane R. Crowley R. Daniel Lindahl Adams & Graham LLP 222 E. Van Buren, West Tower Annual Meeting Chair Michael B. King Harlingen, TX 78550 Lane Powell Spears Lubersky, Linda T. Coberly 956-428-7495 L.L.P. Winston & Strawn 956-428-2954 – fax 1420 Fifth Ave., Suite 4100 35 W Wacker Dr 40th Fl [email protected] Seattle, WA 98101-2338 Chicago, IL 60601 (206) 223-7046 (312) 558-8768 Charles W. Craven (206) 223-7107 – fax (312) 558-5700 – fax Marshall Dennehey Warner [email protected] [email protected] 1845 Walnut St Philadelphia, PA 19103 Expert Witness Chair Young Lawyer Liaison (610) 355-7424 TBA (610) 355-7444 Mike Reitzell [email protected] Hancock, Rothert & Bunshoft, Legislative/Rulemaking Liaison LLP Michael B. Wallace TBA Four Embarcadero Center, Suite Phelps Dunbar 300 111 E Capitol St, Suite 600 State Liaison Chair San Francisco, CA 94111 Jackson, MS 39201-3066 TBA (415) 981-5550 (601) 352-2300 [email protected] (601) 360-9777-fax [email protected] Elaine LaFlamme Mager Law Group 401 East Las Olas Blvd., 14th Fl. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (954) 763-2800 (954) 763-2885 – fax [email protected] CORRECTION RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN 2005 BY THE AMERICAN LAWYER AND THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL, REED SMITH’S PRODUCTS LIABILITY GROUP’S EXPERTISE INCLUDES PHARMACEUTICAL, Summer 2006 Certworthy 3 REGIONAL EDITOR LISTING First Circuit Sixth Circuit Eleventh Circuit Sarah M. Riley Scott Burnett Smith Richard L. Neumeier Warner, Norcross & Judd LLP Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP Morrison Mahoney, LLP 900 Fifth Third Center 200 Clinton Avenue West, Suite 250 Summer Street 111 Lyon Street NW 900 Boston, Mass. 02210-1181 Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2487 Huntsville, AL 35801-4900 (617) 439-7569 (616) 752-2541 (256) 517-5198 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Second Circuit Timothy Fitzgerald DC and Federal Circuits Ralph W. Johnson, III Gallagher Sharp Fulton & Rebecca A. Womeldorf Halloran & Sage LLP Norman Spriggs Hollingsworth One Goodwin Square Seventh Floor, Bulkley Building 1350 I St. NW 225 Asylum Street Cleveland, OH 44115 Washington, DC 20005 Hartford, CT 06103-4303 (216) 522-1164 (202) 898-5800 (860) 297-4646 [email protected] [email protected] Johnsonr@Halloran- Sage.com Seventh Circuit Jeffrey K. McGinness Third Circuit Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Charles W. Craven Dixon, LLP Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, 225 West Wacker Drive Coleman & Goggin Chicago, IL 60606-1229 1845 Walnut St. (312) 201-2298 Philadelphia, PA 19103- [email protected] 4797 (215) 575-2626 Eighth Circuit [email protected] Diane B. Bratvold Rider Bennett, LLP Fourth Circuit 33 S. 6th St, Suite 4900 Steven R. Minor Minneapolis, MN 55402 Elliott Lawson & Minor (612) 340-7966 110-112 Piedmont Ave. [email protected] (24201) P.O. Box 8400 Ninth Circuit Bristol, VA 24203-8400 Diane R. Crowley (276) 466-8400 The Law Offices of Diane R. [email protected] Crowley 727 Contra Costa Ave. Fifth Circuit Berkeley, CA 94707 Charles Frazier, Jr. (510) 524-1531 Cowles & Thompson, PC [email protected] 901 Main St. Suite 4000 Tenth Circuit Dallas, TX 75202-3793 Katherine Taylor Eubank (214) 672-2124 Fowler, Schimberg & Flanagan, [email protected] PC 1640 Grant Street, Suite 300 Denver, CO 80203 (303) 298-8603 [email protected] 4 Certworthy Summer 2006 FROM THE CHAIR The Hit Programs Keep Coming R.