Institutionalizing Press Relations at the Supreme Court: The Origins of the Public Information Office

At the U.S. Supreme Court, the press is the primary link between the justices and the public, and the Public Information Office (“PIO”) is the primary link between the justices and the press. This Article explores the story of the PIO’s origins, providing the most complete account to date of its early history. That story is anchored by the major events of several eras – from the Great Depression policymaking of the 1930s to the social and political upheaval of the 1970s. It is also defined by the three men who built and shaped the office in the course of forty years.