# Joan Biskupic

Joan Marie Biskupic (born c. 1956) is an American journalist, biographer, and lawyer who has covered the United States Supreme Court since 1989.

## Early life and education

Biskupic is one of nine siblings born to a Catholic family of Croatian and Irish descent. She received her high school diploma from Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois, a B.A. degree in journalism from Marquette University, an M.A. degree in English from the University of Oklahoma, and a J.D. degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. One of her brothers, Steven M. Biskupic (born 1961), is a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, now in private practice. Another brother, Vince Biskupic, is a judge on the Outagamie County Circuit Court.

## Career

From 1989 to 1992, Biskupic was a legal affairs writer for Congressional Quarterly. She was awarded the 1991 Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting on Congress for her coverage of the Clarence Thomas hearings for Congressional Quarterly. Prior to that, she covered government and politics for the Milwaukee Journal and the Tulsa Tribune.
From 1992 to 2000, she was the Supreme Court reporter for The Washington Post. From 2000 to 2012 she was the legal affairs correspondent for USA Today. Her work was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2015. She was editor in charge, legal affairs for Reuters from 2012 to 2016. During the 2016–17 academic year, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Irvine's School of Law.
As of August 2024, she is a full-time Supreme Court analyst at CNN. She also regularly appears as a commentator on other television and radio programs. She is a regular panelist on Washington Week and has appeared on The Diane Rehm Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, Face the Nation, and Stay Tuned with Preet.
Biskupic has written books on the Supreme Court, including biographies of Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, and Sonia Sotomayor, and Chief Justice John Roberts. She was awarded three residential fellowships at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in 2003, 2004 and 2008, for work on these biographies.

## Honors

She has been a member of the District of Columbia bar since 1994. Biskupic received honorary Doctors of Laws degrees from Marquette University in May 2010, and Georgetown University in May 2014.

## Publications

| Title | Year | ISBN | Publisher | Subject matter | Interviews, presentations, and reviews | Comments |
| The Supreme Court Yearbook 1989–1990 | 1991 | ISBN 9780871875907 | Congressional Quarterly | | | |
| The Supreme Court Yearbook 1990–1991 | 1992 | ISBN 9780871876379 | Congressional Quarterly | | | |
| The Supreme Court Yearbook 1991–1992 | 1993 | ISBN 9780871877161 | Congressional Quarterly | | | |
| Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court (third edition) | 1996 | ISBN 9781568021300 | Congressional Quarterly | | | Written with Elder Witt. |
| The Supreme Court and Individual Rights (third edition) | 1978 | ISBN 9781568022390 | Congressional Quarterly | | | Written with Elder Witt. |
| The Supreme Court at Work (second edition) | 1997 | ISBN 9781568023236 | Congressional Quarterly | | | Written with Elder Witt. |
| The Supreme Court and the Powers of the American Government | 1997 | ISBN 9781568023243 | Congressional Quarterly | | | Written with Elder Witt. |
| Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice | 2005 | ISBN 9780060590185 | Ecco | Sandra Day O'Connor | Presentation by Biskupic on Sandra Day O'Connor, October 23, 2005, C-SPAN | |
| American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia | 2009 | ISBN 9780374202897 | Sarah Crichton Books | Antonin Scalia | After Words interview with Biskupic on American Original, December 12, 2009, C-SPAN | |
| Breaking In: The Rise of Sonia Sotomayor and the Politics of Justice | 2014 | ISBN 9780374298746 | Sarah Crichton Books | Sonia Sotomayor | | |
| The Chief: The Life and Turbulent Times of Chief Justice John Roberts | 2019 | ISBN 9780465093274 | Basic Books | John Roberts | Presentation by Biskupic on The Chief, March 28, 2019, C-SPAN Q&A interview with Biskupic on The Chief, March 31, 2019, C-SPAN | |
| Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court's Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences | 2023 | ISBN 9780063052789 | William Morrow | Roberts Court | Q&A interview with Biskupic on Nine Black Robes, April 9, 2023, C-SPAN "Book Review: 'Nine Black Robes,' by Joan Biskupic". The New York Times. April 10, 2023. | |