This month marks our 400th “Second Circuit Review” column. On this occasion, we reflect upon changes in the Second Circuit since our first column was published in 1985. We focus on the changing composition of the court’s membership, shifts in the court’s caseload, revisions to the Local Rules, and decisions and developments in the case law.

When we wrote our first column, Ronald Reagan had started his second term as President of the United States, he had cut taxes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) had recently closed at 1,475.69, Congress and the federal judiciary were predominantly white and male, and emails and the Internet were unimaginable. Today, President Trump has just begun the second half of his first term, has similarly passed tax cuts, and on Feb. 15, 2019 the DJIA closed at 25,883.25. The legislative and judicial branches, however, while still predominantly white and male, have grown more diverse, as exemplified by the new 116th Congress—the most diverse Congress ever sworn in.

The Court’s Membership Reflects Growing Diversity