When a judge writes an opinion he will usually start by stating his name . Here, Justice EDWARD J. GREENFIELD of the Supreme Court of New York County penned the opinion. Often, judges don't actually write their opinions. The duty falls mostly to their law clerks.

Many question the validity of this practice, especially at the level of the Supreme Court of the United States. Some feel that fresh-out-of-law-school clerks should not be making decisions and writing opinions at the Supreme Court level. In reality, the Justices are in full control of their jurisprudence and law clerks perform an invaluable service to the Court and to the country as a whole. Without their research and writing abilities, the court might have to reduce its docket further - if that's possible.