Writ (website)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Writ is a legal commentary website hosted by FindLaw. Writ publishes at least one new column by one of its regular columnists every business day, and frequently posts a second column by a guest columnist. The regular columnists are all notable attorneys; almost all are law professors, most with an endowed chair; some are former law clerks from the U.S. Supreme Court; some are past or present federal prosecutors; one is a former Counsel to the President; one is a novelist, and one is the current director of the Terrorism and Counterterrorism Program of Human Rights Watch. The guest columnists also tend to be law professors or seasoned attorneys. The columnists comment both on notable ongoing court cases and recent court decisions, as well as on current events.

Writ also publishes occasional book reviews, on books of both legal and more general interest; the book reviewers are likewise academically inclined attorneys.

Writ is free, and maintains all of its material from its inception in a free archive.

Although Writ is known mainly among legal circles, its columnists tend to be prolific authors who reach a broad audience. Many have published books as well as frequent articles and op-eds in newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly, U.S. News & World Report, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Slate. One Writ columnist, Marci Hamilton, was the first guest on The Daily Show in its new studio in 2005; columnist Edward Lazarus also appeared on The Daily Show in 2006.