This quote speaks to me: “I’m sorry for the length of this letter. It would’ve been shorter if I had more time.”
It has been attributed to many famous writers, most often (but incorrectly, it seems) Mark Twain. It captures the challenge of writing well in brief, and especially to the process of editing what one has written.
(This clip from the movie “Genius” perfectly depicts how hard it is for many writers to overcome the belief that “every words matters.” https://lnkd.in/g-SsJapr)
I assume most federal judges don’t have much time, because dang! Those are some long opinions.
(Or perhaps it’s hard to shake the private-practice mindset that a lawyer should charge by the word.)
The judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, however, appear to have the time to write well and concisely. Take this case, for instance.
Yesterday, in only four(!) pages—including the case caption—the court describes how police came to encounter convicted felon Junian Johnson; why a 911 call about gunfire, coupled with Johnson’s actions, helped support reasonable suspicion (even absent a ShotSpotter alert); why seven minutes wasn’t too long for an officer to observe a firearm partially concealed inside Johnson’s car; and why the fentanyl they subsequently discovered is fair game.
He stays convicted of federal gun and drug charges.
You can read the (short) opinion here: https://lnkd.in/g_mXqfnz.
And I shall continue to blame time rather than the bounds of innate talent for stunting my writing.