Opinion as Literature?

Hammond v Hall, No. 08-11108 (11th Cir. Nov. 4 2009) comes close. This case is a 100+-page affirmance of a denial of a petition for habeas corpus, but the real star is Judge Carnes's writing. The whole thing is a great read, but the statement of facts is particularly well-crafted. The first paragraph gets you started, and doesn't let you stop:

Julie Love was driving a red Mustang convertible through the upscale Buckhead section of Atlanta around 10:00 p.m. on July 11, 1988. It was one of those typically hot summer nights in Georgia. The petite 27-year-old preschool fitness teacher had been to her regular Monday night “career chat” meeting. She had gotten engaged the week before and may have been thinking about that. Whatever was on her mind, her thoughts were interrupted by the reality of her car slowing to a stop, as cars do when they run out of gas. She steered it over to the side of the road.

Read it all.