Ever wonder how the phrase “interstate commerce” evolved in usage in U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1791 to 2005? Or, how often and where the phrase “Santa Claus” appeared in those decisions? Welcome to the Legal Language Explorer — a serious and fascinating attempt to explore the evolution of the law and legal language using the text of Supreme Court decisions from the first decision of the Jay Court to the last decision of the Rehnquist Court.
Some court watchers think Justice Elena Kagan was the first to use “chutzpah” in a decision last term. But the word actually first appeared in a 1998 concurring opinion by (who else?) Justice Antonin Scalia.
