Back in September, the Third Circuit issued an opinion in US v. Doe that I described as “a glorious 50-page monument to the absurd complexity of habeas law.”

As if to underscore the point, the court today granted panel rehearing and issued a new opinion, now 51 pages. The outcome hasn’t changed, and the only differences I can spot are a new footnote 4 on page 14 and an additional government lawyer in the caption.

UPDATE: I also see some minor wording changes on pages 11 and 12, removing some ‘possible/possibility’ language.