Before She Died, “Jane Roe” Said She Was Never Really Pro-Life: Does It Matter?

MICHAEL C. DORF

Cornell law professor Michael C. Dorf comments on the revelation that before she died, Norma McCorvey—the woman who was the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade and who had subsequently become a prominent spokesperson for overturning the decision—said she was never really pro-life after all. Using this example, Dorf explains why, in some ways, the individual plaintiff’s identity does not matter for the purpose of deciding an important legal issue, yet in other ways, the plaintiff’s underlying story can be very important for other reasons.

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Marek v. State

Citation: 2020 Ark. 203

Opinion Date: May 21, 2020

Judge: Karen R. Baker

Areas of Law: Criminal Law

The Supreme Court remanded this matter - which regarded Petitioner's pro se motions seeking to belatedly appeal his conviction, permission to proceed in forma paupers, and appointment of counsel - to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing, holding that the proper disposition of the matter required findings of fact. In his motion for belated appeal, Petitioner alleged that after he was convicted for aggravated assault on a family/household member he advised his retained attorney that he wished to appeal but that his attorney had failed to file a timely notice of appeal. The record did not contain an order relieving his attorney, so the question at issue was whether and when Petitioner communicated to his attorney that he wished to appeal and whether his attorney acted within an objective standard of reasonableness in not pursuing an appeal. The Supreme Court held that the proper disposition required findings of fact, and therefore, the matter must be remanded to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing.