Unusual Formatting in Justice Alito's Danco Dissent

This article provides a detailed analysis of the unconventional formatting found in Justice Samuel Alito's solo dissenting opinion regarding the Danco case. While standard legal writing conventions dictate that a single footnote should be marked with an asterisk and multiple footnotes should be numbered sequentially, Justice Alito's dissent deviates from this norm. Despite containing two distinct footnotes, neither is numbered. Instead, the first footnote is marked with an asterisk, and the second is marked with a dagger symbol. The author speculates on the reasons behind this anomaly, noting that as a solo dissent without a corresponding majority opinion, there was no immediate need to reply to arguments raised by other justices. The piece suggests that Justice Alito may have intentionally chosen the dagger symbol for stylistic or emphatic reasons. Ultimately, the article treats this formatting choice as a curious procedural footnote to the broader legal debate, inviting readers and legal experts to provide insights into this unusual editorial decision within the Supreme Court's documentation practices.