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Mark B. Cohen v. Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania

Paid petition · Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Eastern District, No. 63 EAP 2024 · judgment January 21, 2026


1%
estimated cert probability
(petition-stage, structural)
GVR risk 1%

Well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

Whether content-based restrictions on the speech of sitting judges must satisfy strict scrutiny, such that the decision of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania violates the First Amendment.

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Ilana Hope Eisenstein
DLA Piper LLP (US)

For respondent
Brian Halligan Fletcher
Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 2 conferences

Proceedings

  1. Aug 03 2026
    Reply of petitioner Mark B. Cohen filed. (Distributed)
  2. Jul 29 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2026.
  3. Jul 13 2026
    Brief of respondent Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania in opposition filed.
  4. Jun 05 2026
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including July 13, 2026.
  5. Jun 04 2026
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from June 11, 2026 to July 13, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
  6. May 12 2026
    Response Requested. (Due June 11, 2026)
  7. May 05 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/21/2026.
  8. Apr 30 2026
    Waiver of right of respondent Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania to respond filed.
  9. Apr 21 2026
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due May 26, 2026)