Question

In 2002, Justice David Souter wrote a 34-page dissent that upheld the use of government-funded school vouchers to pay for parochial school tuition. Why might Supreme Court justices decide to write a long, dissenting opinion such as this one?

Answer 1

Long dissenting opinions can be written as a way of trying to influence future court decisions, laying out the rationale for lawyers to use to appeal the case in other courts. This long opinion can also be more forceful than the usual concurring and majority opinions, which tend to be more centrist.