The Supreme Court footnote: a surprising history

Sovereignty : Chisholm v. Georgia, 2 U.S. 419 (1793)

Slavery : Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857)

Comparative law : Viterbo v. Friedlander, 120 U.S. 707 (1887)

Friends of the Court : Muller v. Oregon, 208 U.S. 412 (1908)

Discrete and insular minorities U.S. v. Carolene Products, 304 U.S. 144 (1938)

Social psychology : Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

Originalism : District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008)

Precedent : Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, 142 S.Ct. 2228 (2022)

Conclusion : Wither the Footnote?