After this discussion, a vote is taken. The author of the majority opinion will, at a minimum, send drafts of the decision to the other justices who make up the majority, who will write comments and pass them along to other members of the majority for consideration as the majority opinion is being drafted. Many justices on the majority side of a very significant case write concurring opinions if they have reached the same decision as the majority but have different reasons for having arrived at that conclusion. Justices who are not a part of the majority often write dissenting opinions that identify the reasons why they think the majority is wrong on the substance or the law of the matter. Each justice has several law clerks, generally recent top graduates from top law schools.
Justices select their own clerks, who usually serve for about two years.
The law clerks assist justices by doing research on the issues of a case and occasionally write first drafts of short sections of an opinion in the areas they researched. The law clerks also keep track of briefs and records coming into the office to ensure that documents relevant to a given case, which may arrive at different times from different attorneys and lower courts, stay together. When a final draft of an opinion is ready, it is entered into the Supreme Court's central computer system from which it is prepared for publication. On a regular schedule, the justices assemble in the Supreme Court's hearing chamber to announce their decisions on a number of cases that have been heard. Reporters are generally waiting in that office for the printed versions of decisions from which to write their stories for that day's newscasts and newspapers.