1. The conventional picture of legal decisionmaking, with the appellate opinion as its archetype and 'reasoned elaboration' as its credo, is one in which giving reasons is both the norm and the ideal;H Easterbrook;Abstraction and Authority, 59 U. CHI. L. REV,1992
2. Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
3. A requirement that judges give reasons for their decisions-grounds of decision that can be debated, attacked, and defended-serves a vital function in constraining the judiciary's exercise of power;See David;Defense of Judicial Candor, 100 HARV. L. REV,1987
4. Giving Reasons