Pro se litigant Kyle Greene, like many pro se litigants before him, felt put upon by the judicial system. Determined to do something about it, he filed a “Motion for Disclosure of Chamber of Papers,” demanding U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz’s bench memo because he “suspect[ed] he was the victim of a law clerk usurping the function of an Article III judge.”
It didn’t work. In his opinion (PDF), Judge Schiltz explained:
Greene has not cited — and the Court has not found — a single statute, regulation, rule, or judicial opinion holding that a litigant has a right of access (under the First Amendment, the common law, or anything else) to communications between a judge and his or her law clerk, including draft opinions and orders. Rather, all of the authority of which the Court is aware is to the contrary.
(Thanks, Deb and Jess!)
Sam Glover has been writing about law practice technology, management, marketing, and other stuff on Lawyerist since 2007. He consults on appeals and motion practice in his solo practice. When he isn't blogging or lawyering, Sam drinks espresso and plays with fountain pens.
