On opinion days, the Supreme Court traditionally begins at 10 a.m. ET and reads any opinions it will release in order in terms of seniority — from most junior to most-senior.
Any per curium opinions — majority decisions that are unsigned — would be at the end.
They are announced from the bench and simultaneously handed out to reporters in the press room in print and posted online. However, a recent incident deviated from this norm.
The court's spokesperson issued a statement regarding the release of the opinion in Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States. The statement clarified that the opinion had not been officially released as it was mistakenly uploaded to the Court's website by the Publications Unit. This error led to the premature online availability of the document.
Due to this oversight, the opinion was not announced from the bench as per the usual procedure, and printed copies were not distributed to reporters. The spokesperson assured that the opinion in question will be officially issued in due course, following the standard protocol.
While such incidents are rare, they highlight the meticulous process involved in the release of Supreme Court opinions and the importance of adhering to established procedures to maintain transparency and accuracy in legal proceedings.
