Opinion ID: 2834548
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: What About the Opinion?

Text: One could argue that our decisions should take effect on the date of opinion rather than the date of judgment. In cases remanded for proceedings consistent with our opinion, the lower courts must have the opinion to carry out the judgment. [31] Of course in most cases the opinion and judgment issue together, so the effective date for both is the same. [32] But in a few cases they are different, and in those cases the date of judgment is more important. In a few emergencies, we have issued judgments or orders with opinions to follow. [33] For example, in In re Doe we issued a judgment on March 10, 2000 and the opinions three months later. [34] In such cases, we clearly intended the judgments to take effect immediately; there was no other reason to issue them before the opinions were ready. And we certainly did not intend those judgments to take effect only when the mandate issued much later. Opinions, motions for rehearing, and mandates can issue in due course, but judgments ought to take effect immediately. It is true that in emergency cases we can order the mandate issued early and deny the parties the right to file a motion for rehearing. [35] But prohibiting motions for rehearing can mean missing an opportunity to correct a mistake. The best way to make judgments effective immediately, while still allowing for mistakes, is to make the effective date the date of judgment.