Lyle Denniston | |
|---|---|
 Denniston at the Supreme Court Preview atWilliam & Mary Law School in October 2009 | |
| Born | (1931-03-16)March 16, 1931 (age 94) Nebraska City, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Education | University of Nebraska (BA) Georgetown University (MA) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | Coverage of theUnited States Supreme Court |
Lyle Denniston (born March 16, 1931)[1] is an American journalist, professor, and author who has reported on theSupreme Court of the United States since 1958.[2][3] He wrote forSCOTUSblog, an online blog featuring news and analysis of the Supreme Court, until June 2016,[4] after previously having written for multiple national newspapers and legal periodicals. His commentary is also featured on theNational Public Radio showHere and Now.[5] In addition, he has contributed to numerous books and journals, and is the author of "The Reporter and the Law: Techniques for Covering the Courts."[6] Denniston has taught classes on law, journalism, and American constitutional history atAmerican University,Georgetown University,Penn State University, andJohns Hopkins University.[7]
Lyle Denniston was born inNebraska City, Nebraska. He graduated from theUniversity of Nebraska, and later earned amaster's degree inpolitical science andhistory fromGeorgetown University. While knowledgeable in legal affairs, Denniston is not a lawyer, though he taught at theGeorgetown University Law Center for eight years.[8] As a journalist he started covering the Supreme Court for theWall Street Journal in 1958[8] during theWarren Court era, and later wrote for theBoston Globe,The Baltimore Sun,The American Lawyer, and theWashington Star.[9] He joinedSCOTUSblog in February 2004, and retired in June 2016–58 years after he first started covering the Supreme Court.[4]
Because of his long-standing coverage of the Court, he has been referred to as the "Dean Emeritus of the Supreme Court Press Corps," and enjoys the singular distinction of being the only person to have earned a plaque in the Supreme Court press room.[9]