I have exciting news to share with you today: Dispatch Media, Inc. has acquired the acclaimed legal publication SCOTUSblog, and we’re thrilled to welcome cofounder Amy Howe—widely respected as one of the nation’s leading legal journalists—to The Dispatch team. As part of the acquisition, The Dispatch will invest in Amy, her team, and additional staff to ensure that SCOTUSblog remains the go-to authority on the Supreme Court.
What motivated this move? In the simplest terms, our mission. SCOTUSblog—SCOTUS stands for Supreme Court of the United States—has been the gold standard for Supreme Court coverage for more than two decades. And in the five short years that The Dispatch has covered the courts, we’ve established ourselves as a top source for coverage of SCOTUS and legal affairs. As The New Yorker magazine put it in a recent profile of Sarah Isgur, The Dispatch’s Advisory Opinions podcast has become “a singularly incisive running commentary on the state of American law.”
Reliable coverage of the Supreme Court has never been more important. With an unbridled executive branch and a Congress eager to surrender its constitutional prerogatives, the federal judiciary is certain to play an increasingly important role in shaping the country’s direction. Our job is to help our members understand this role and the decisions that will shape the nation’s future, in both the short and long term.
With the addition of SCOTUSblog, The Dispatch is well-positioned to become the definitive source for authoritative reporting and analysis of the Supreme Court and the rule of law. And we won’t stop there.
We will continue to grow, providing deeper coverage of the issues that matter most: national security, energy, education policy, and tech. This is just the first step. If you have a recommendation—someone you think is covering these issue areas particularly well—send them our way. You can be a direct contributor to our growth and help us continue to add more value to your membership.
What truly sets The Dispatch apart—as you’ve told us time and again—is our unwavering commitment to our core mission: providing sober, facts-first journalism for independent thinkers.
We will maintain SCOTUSblog as users have come to enjoy it and continue to offer its existing content to all readers at no cost. In the coming weeks, we’ll announce additional talent—including a partnership with Original Jurisdiction founder and legal commentator David Lat—to help us grow SCOTUSblog’s capabilities, and these expanded offerings will be reserved for Dispatch members. We are also planning to develop products in the coming months for both a professional legal audience and the general public, given the increasing importance of understanding the Supreme Court in American life. And premium and lifetime members will be among the first to preview what we’re building.
In a world where everything is becoming more expensive, our goal is to offer you more bang for your shrinking buck. We’ll continue to build the value of your Dispatch membership, and we’re grateful for your ongoing support.
We couldn’t be more excited about this new chapter. Thanks for supporting us on this journey.
Steve
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