Why does the DOJ use so much passive voice in its Mar-a-Lago filing?

Why does the DOJ use so much passive voice in its Mar-a-Lago filing?

ByJosh Bernoff

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a response to a recent Donald Trump request regarding the raid of Mar-a-Lago. Its filing is full of passive voice, a means of expression I’ve continually railed against. Why is it passive, and should the DOJ be writing in the active voice instead? Here’s a passage from the DOJ’s…

Lessons from the plain, damning grand jury report on priests in Pennsylvania

Lessons from the plain, damning grand jury report on priests in Pennsylvania

ByJosh Bernoff

A grand jury in Pennsylvania accused more than 300 priests of sexually abusing more than 1000 children, over a period of decades. The grand jury’s 1356 page report is an amazing document, a model for clarity of description in an emotionally charged environment. I don’t clearly understand who writes documents like this or how. I’m…