How Supreme Court Reporters Set Themselves Apart

Описание: An ‘exclusive club’ covers the Supreme Court. Here’s a look inside. The leak of the Supreme Court’s draft abortion ruling was unprecedented. Now, Supreme Court reporters think the beat is changing.
by Hope Kahn, National Press Foundation

On May 2, Politico published a leaked draft of the Supreme Court majority decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, a case that ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade. The leak was unprecedented, something that “never happens,” former USA Today Supreme Court reporter Richard Wolf told Paul Miller fellows. But the Supreme Court is complicated; it’s different from covering other beats. “It’s cloistered and lacks transparency,” Reuters Supreme Court reporter Andrew Chung said. Here’s what they had to say about covering the highest court.

The beat is a “very exclusive club,” but seems to be growing, said Wolf, who covered the Supreme Court for 10 years. Wolf said that, typically, it’s one SCOTUS reporter per major news outlet (wire organizations like the AP, and legacy organizations like the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post), making for only about 20 regulars, “meaning Supreme Court reporters with hard passes, who get the best seats, who get the best treatment from the press office.” However, the New York Times recently posted a job application for an additional SCOTUS Correspondent. As the court has become more politicized, Wolf said there’s been more of a general readership opposed to just “legal nerds.” “I think the leak of the abortion case probably has at least a little bit to do with that.”

“You should learn the law as best as possible,” Wolf said. While Wolf and Chung agreed that you don’t have to have a law degree to cover the court, both agreed classes would be helpful. “I think if you’re going to cover the court you need to understand a few basics of procedural law especially, but also substantive law,” Chung said.

When it comes to Supreme Court decisions, be prepared. A Supreme Court decision isn’t always as simple as a yes or no. Chung’s had pre-writes where he’s had eight potential directions the court might go. “When you need to get something out fast, you hopefully have gamed out all of the outcomes that are possible and one of them is what works,” Chung said. Wolf usually had two or three versions of a flushed-out 10- or 12-inch story with relevant background, and placeholders for where he would put a quote from the opinion and a quote from the dissent. Because Supreme Court decisions can be “inordinately complicated,” make the synopsis found at the top of the opinion your friend, Chung said.

How to shine as a Supreme Court reporter? Have good enterprise stories. In 2020, Reuters published Shielded, a data-driven project that found that qualified immunity was increasing in its force and power in lower courts. “We read thousands of appellate and district court rulings, and also looked at Supreme Court data itself,” Chung said. Because the court goes into session in October and finishes up in June, summer is reporter’s time off on the Supreme Court beat, Wolf said. This is when he would focus on different enterprise stories and is what he enjoyed most about the beat. “One summer our main justice department reporter and I combined on a series on the death penalty … One summer I spent most of the summer doing a series of stories on John Roberts at 10 years.”

“You’re not going to get the principals to talk,” Wolf said, but he still had coffee with every justice off the record. So how do you source for stories? The court staff can be helpful, he said. Reach out to experts at law schools, the solicitor general’s office, legal experts and former clerks.

Speakers: Richard Wolf, former USA Today Supreme Court reporter
Andrew Chung, Reuters Supreme Court reporter

Takeaways, transcript and resources: https://nationalpress.org/topic/supre...

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