Legal Writing
‘Calvinball’ has game as legal term of the year, thanks to Justice Jackson
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson attends inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Calvinball” has emerged as the noteworthy legal term of 2025, thanks to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Originally derived from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, “Calvinball” refers to an activity that follows no set rules and in which people behave in a self-serving manner.
Jackson, however, was not amused when she cited the Oxford English Dictionary definition of Calvinball during her dissent of National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association on Aug. 21, according to ClearWriting.com.
A 5-4 ruling allowed the Trump administration to cancel millions in research grant projects for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist,” Jackson wrote. “Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: That one, and this administration always wins.”
See also:
Justice Jackson accuses Supreme Court majority of playing Calvinball
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