Legal writing professor @UMichLaw. #WilenskyOnStyle. Cardinals and cooking and kids oh my. See my pinned tweet to donate miles.
Jun 8, 2023 • 16 tweets • 5 min read
In a surprise to absolutely no one, Justice Kagan's opinion in Jack Daniels is a terrific piece of #LegalWriting. Here's a quick #WilenskyOnStyle thread about the introduction, which illustrates an organizational trick I love to keep the reader on track. /1
First, the full opinion is here. /2 supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf…
Jun 10, 2021 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
Judge Katzmann, extraordinary 2nd Cir. judge, died yesterday. As my tribute to his judicial career, here's a #WilenskyOnStyle thread from one of his last published opinions. It's a masterful display of reader-friendly writing, creating order from statutory chaos. /1
If you see the phrase "statutory chaos" and think "must be an immigration case" . . . you're right! Here's the opinion. /2 ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isys…
Mar 12, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Let's talk about distinguishing cases! I often see students make the error that the 5th Circuit made here. But my students are 1Ls; I *expect* them to make this error, and it's my job to point it out. So what, exactly, did the 5th Circuit get wrong? /1
I'll leave the substantive Bivens question to the experts. But here's the writing point I want my students to learn: When distinguishing cases, it's not enough to say "here are ways in which the facts of this case differ from the facts of that case." /2
Mar 11, 2021 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
Mazel tov to AG Garland! In honor of his retirement from the DC Circuit, here's a #WilenskyOnStyle thread unpacking some of his writing choices from his final reported opinion. It's an admin law case, a great one to showcase how good writers handle complex regulatory schemes. /1
The case is Mirror Lake Village, LLC v. Wolf, an immigration case handed down in August 2020. Full opinion here: cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opini… /2
Dec 6, 2020 • 24 tweets • 6 min read
Hi folks! The 11th Cir. handed down a new election opinion yesterday and if you’ve been following me you won’t be surprised that I have Some Things To Say about C.J. Pryor’s writing choices. (I’m going to use #WilenskyOnStyle – h/t @daniellecitron – to collect these threads.) /1
The full opinion is here. : assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7334… /2
Dec 4, 2020 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
The 11th Cir. just issued an order denying the GOP's latest attempt to overturn election results, this time in Georgia. And while the opinion has plenty for procedure nerds to love, I'm going to focus on the aspects of Judge Brasher's opinion that us style nerds love. /1
Here's the opinion: democracydocket.com/wp-content/upl… /2
Nov 27, 2020 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
A few style thoughts about today's 3rd Circuit ruling smacking down the Trump Campaign's latest attempt to overturn the election results. Judge Bibas is fast becoming one of my favorite writers on the federal appellate bench. justsecurity.org/wp-content/upl… /1
First, notice how he moves effortlessly from "Trump Presidential Campaign" to just "Campaign" without the silly and unnecessary parenthetical (hereinafter "Campaign"). He knows we know which Campaign he means. /2
Jul 13, 2020 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
This is an excellent addition to the convo around becoming an LRW prof. I agree w/ everything @IreneTenCate says here, and want to link to a few key articles re where our profession needs to do better. /1
In particular, @genremixtress’s scholarship about being an LRW prof of color is required reading for everyone in legal academia. /2
May 31, 2020 • 12 tweets • 7 min read
@sstrudeau cc: @MayorTaylorA2. Something we can do about police brutality and misconduct here in Ann Arbor.
@sstrudeau@MayorTaylorA2 I just pulled up the agreement and will try to review it tonight.
Oct 12, 2018 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Quick thread on being a new legal writer, with inspiration from Tony/Grammy/Oscar winner @benjpasek and This American Life’s @iraglass. /1
Last night, at the Q&A for the new Dear Evan Hansen novel, an audience member asked what Benj (Pasek) and Jason (Paul) wish they had known when they were first starting out. /2
Aug 6, 2018 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
My husband travels a lot. Downside: he's gone a lot. Upside: frequent flyer miles. We just used some to fly a 3-yr-old and his dad, who had been separated at the border, from Michigan (where the son had been taken) to their extended family. DM me if you have miles to donate.
Follow @misupportcircle everyone! That's who we worked with to donate frequent flyer miles.
