SCOTUS News

Supreme Court Announced on Wednesday The longtime court spokesperson Kathleen Arberg will retire on July 3. Aberg worked in the federal judiciary for 40 years, including 38 years in the Supreme Court and 22 years as the head of the court’s public information office.

Arberg joined the court in 1982 as an assistant public information officer and held this position until 1999 when she became a public information officer. She was not only responsible for serving as the court’s spokesperson, but also responsible for managing the PIO. Her dual function is: “Promote the accuracy of the court “Reporting” and “Promoting public understanding of the court’s functions and history.” Among other things, PIO provides certificates to reporters reporting on the court and distributes them when court orders and opinions are issued to waiting reporters.

In the press release announcing Abberg’s retirement, Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out: “Casey has provided valuable services to members of the court and the press for nearly four years. Although we all hope that everything goes well after her retirement,” Roberts added Say, “But we will miss her very much.”

In the past few years, the press office has been particularly busy. Since 2016, Arberg has managed public relations for the courts in three controversial battles to fill up the retiring of Justice Anthony Kennedy and Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bud Ginsberg Vacancies caused by death. In addition, Arberg and her colleagues are still struggling to deal with an extremely active “shadow file”-emergency orders and summary rulings issued outside of the court’s normal briefing and debate schedule. Shadow files often lead to late night and weekend orders, with topics ranging from COVID-19 restrictions to election law to the death penalty.

This article is Originally published in Howe on the Court.