Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-20-2021
Abstract
This essay--prompted by my work directing Georgetown Law's Appellate Courts Immersion Clinic--discusses letters filed under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 28(j). A "Rule 28(j) letter" is the federal appellate rules' principal mechanism for bringing supplemental authorities to an appellate court’s attention after the briefs have been filed. This essay covers (1) the Rule's basic attributes; (2) whether a 28(j) letter may be adversarial; (3) the types of authorities that may be--and should be--cited in a 28(j) letter; (4) proper timing for the filing of a 28(j) letter; (5) when and how to respond to a 28(j) letter; and (6) what you should do when a 28(j) letter is inadequate to fully discuss a new and pertinent legal development.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Wolfman, Brian, "Some Thoughts on Supplemental Authorities Under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 28(j) and Related Musings" (2021). Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works. 2474.
https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/2474