Mapping Supreme Court Doctrine: Civil Pleading

Authors

Scott Dodson, University of California Hastings College of the LawFollow
Colin Starger, University of Baltimore School of LawFollow

Streaming Media

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

This essay, adapted from the video presentation available on Vimeo as #89845875, graphically depicts the genealogy and evolution of federal civil pleading standards in U.S. Supreme Court opinions over time. We show that the standard narrative — of a decline in pleading liberality from Conley to Twombly to Iqbal — is complicated by both progenitors and progeny. We therefore offer a fuller picture of the doctrine of Rule 8 pleading that ought to be of use to judges and practitioners in federal court. We also hope, through the video presentation, to introduce a new visual format for academic scholarship that capitalizes on the virtues of narration, graphics, mapping, online accessibility, and electronic dissemination.

Recommended Citation

Mapping Supreme Court Doctrine: Civil Pleading, 7 Fed. Ct. L. Rev. 275 (2014)