Judicial Politics

Political Science 5225

Fall 2005

PART ONE.

I. Courts in Constitutional Democracies (October 3)

A. The Roles of Courts in Constitutional Democracies

  1. Resolving Disputes

  2. Making Policy

  3. Monitoring Government Action

B. The Expansion of Judicial Power?

Readings

  • Mather, Lynn. 1995. "The Fired Football Coach (Or, How Trial Courts Make Policy)," in Contemplating Courts, ed. Lee Epstein. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. [handout]

  • Galanter, Marc. 2004. "The Vanishing Trial: An Examination of Trials and Related Matters in Federal and State Courts." Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 1: 459. [ .pdf]

  • Dahl, Robert A. 1957. "Decision Making in a Democracy: The Supreme Court as a National Policy Maker." Journal of Public Law 6: 279. [ .pdf]

  • Casper, Jonathan D. 1976. "The Supreme Court and National Policy Making." American Political Science Review 70: 50. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Epstein, Lee, Jack Knight, and Andrew D. Martin. 2001. "The Supreme Court as a Strategic National Policy Maker." Emory Law Journal 50: 583. [Project web site]

  • Epstein, Lee, Daniel E. Ho, Gary King, & Jeffrey A. Segal. 2005. The Effect of War on the Supreme Court. NYU Law Review 80: 1. [Project web site]

II. Judicial Organization (October 10)

A. Establishing the American Legal System

B. Today's Legal System

  1. Trial Courts

  2. Intermediate Appellate Courts

  3. Supreme Courts

C. Judicial Federalism

Readings

  • Article III of the U.S. Constitution [ link]

  • Gibson, James L. 1978. "Judges' Role Orientations, Attitudes, and Decisions: An Interactive Model." American Political Science Review 72: 911. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Giles, Micheal W. and Thomas G. Walker. 1975. "Judicial Policy-Making and Southern School Segregation." Journal of Politics 37: 917-936. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Sunstein, Cass R., David Schkade, and Lisa Michelle Ellman. 2004. "Ideological Voting on Federal Courts of Appeals: A Preliminary Investigation." Virginia Law Review 90: 301 (2004). [ .pdf]

  • Hall, Melinda Gann. 1987. "Constituent Influence in State Supreme Courts: Conceptual Notes and a Case Study." Journal of Politics 49: 1117. [ J-Stor stable URL]

III. Judicial Selection (October 17)

A. Judicial Selection in the States

B. Appointing Federal Judges and Justices

  1. Vacancies

  2. Nominations

  3. Confirmations

B. Judicial Selection Abroad

Readings

  • Klein, David and Lawrence Baum. 2001. "Ballot Information and Voting Decisions in Judicial Elections." Political Research Quarterly 54: 709. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Hall, Melinda Gann. 2001. "State Supreme Courts in American Democracy: Probing the Myths of Judicial Reform." American Political Science Review 95: 315. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Huber, Gregory A. and Sanford C. Gordon. 2004. "Accountability and Coercion: Is Justice Blind When it Runs for Office?" American Journal of Political Science 48: 247. [ .pdf]

  • Yoon, Albert. 2005. "The End of the Rainbow: Understanding Turnover Among Federal Judges." American Law & Economics Review 7, forthcoming. [ .pdf]

  • De Figueiredo, John M. and Emerson H. Tiller. 1996. "Congressional Control of the Courts." Journal of Law and Economics 39: 435. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Epstein, Lee and Jeffrey A. Segal. 2005. Advice and Consent: The Politics of Appointing Judges. New York: Oxford University Press, Chs. 1, 3-5.

  • Binder, Sarah A. and Forrest Maltzman. 2002. "Senatorial Delay in Confirming Federal Judges, 1947-1998." American Journal of Political Science 46: 190. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Epstein, Lee, Jack Knight, and Olga Shvetsova. 2001. "Comparing Judicial Selection Systems." William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 10: 7. [Project web site]

  • Calabresi, Steven G. and Lindgren, James T. April 7, 2005. "Term Limits for the Supreme Court." SSRN Working Paper. [ .pdf]

IV. Lawyers (October 24)

[Finish Judicial Selection]

A. Attorneys and their Clients: Choices and Success
B. The Solicitor General

Readings

  • Kritzer, Herbert M. 1998. "Contingent-Fee Lawyers and Their Clients: Settlement Expectations, Settlement Realities, and Issues of Control in the Lawyer-Client Relationship." Law and Social Inquiry 23: 795. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Blumberg, Abraham. 1967. "The Practice of Law as a Confidence Game." law and Society Review 1: 15. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • McGuire, Kevin T. "Repeat Players in the Supreme Court: The Role of Experienced Lawyers in Litigation Success." Journal of Politics 57: 187. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Segal, Jeffrey A. and Cheryl D. Reedy. 1988. "The Supreme Court and Sex Discrimination: The Role of the Solicitor General." Western Political Quarterly 41: 553. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • McGuire, Kevin T. 1998. "Explaining Executive Success in the U. S. Supreme Court." Political Research Quarterly 51: 505. [ J-Stor stable URL]

V. Access to Judicial Power (October 31)

A. Formal Barriers to Entry

B. Informal Barriers to Entry

  1. "Passive Virtues"

  2. The Decision to Litigate: Sociological and Economic Approaches

C. Accessing the Legal System: Who Uses the Courts?

  1. The Strategies of Interest Groups

  2. The Success of Interest Groups

Readings

  • Rowland, C.K. and Bridget Todd. 1991. Where You Stand Depends on Who Sits: Platform Promises and Judicial Gatekeeping in the Federal District Courts. Journal of Politics 53: 175. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Sunstein, Cass R. 1999. One Case at a Time. Harvard University Press, Chs. 1-4.

  • Miller, Richard E. and Austin Sarat. "Grievances, Claims, and Disputes: Assessing the Adversary Culture." Law & Society Review 15: 525. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Sloan, Frank A. and Chee Ruey Hsieh. 1995. "Injury, Liability, and the Decision to File a Medical Malpractice Claim." Law & Society Review 29: 413-436. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Priest, George L. and Benjamin Klein. 1984. "The Selection of Disputes for Litigation." Journal of Legal Studies 13: 1. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Songer, Donald R., Charles M. Cameron, and Jeffrey A. Segal. 1995. "An Empirical Test of the Rational-Actor Theory of Litigation." Journal of Politics 57: 1119. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Galanter, Marc. 1974. "Why the "Haves" Come out Ahead: Speculations on the Limits of Legal Change." Law & Society Review 9: 95. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Vose, Clement E. 1958. "Litigation as a Form of Pressure Group Activity." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 319: 20. [handout]

  • Caldeira, Gregory A. and John R. Wright. 1988. "Organized Interests and Agenda Setting in the U.S. Supreme Court." American Political Science Review 82: 1109. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Epstein, Lee and C.K. Rowland. 1991. "Debunking the Myth of Interest Group Invincibility in the Courts." American Political Science Review 85: 205. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Spriggs, James F. Spriggs, II and Paul J. Wahlbeck. 1997. "Amicus Curiae and the Role of Information at the Supreme Court." Political Research Quarterly 50: 365.[ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Epstein, Lee and Jack Knight. 1998. "Mapping Out the Strategic Terrain: The Informational Role of Amici Curiae." In Supreme Court Decision Making, ed. Cornell Clayton and Howard Gillman. University of Chicago Press. [Project web site]

VI. Instruments of Judicial Power (November 7)

[Finish Access]

A. Writs of Certiorari

B. Decisions, Opinions, and Orders

C. The Injunction

D. The Contempt Power

E. The Writ of Habeas Corpus

Readings

  • Murphy, Walter F., et al. 2006. Courts, Judges, & Politics. New York: McGraw-Hill. et al., pp. 299-310. [handout]

  • Walker, Thomas, Lee Epstein, & William J. Dixon. 1988. "On the Mysterious Demise of Consensual Norms in the United States Supreme Court." Journal of Politics 50: 361. [Project web site]

  • Epstein, Lee, Jeffrey A. Segal, and Harold J. Spaeth. 2001. "The Norm of Consensus on the U.S. Supreme Court." American Journal of Political Science 45: 362. [Project web site]

  • Hettinger, Virginia A., Stefanie Lindquist, and Wendy L. Martinek. 2004. "Comparing Attitudinal and Strategic Accounts of Dissenting Behavior on the U.S. Courts of Appeals." American Journal of Political Science 48: 123. [ .pdf]

  • Cross, Frank B. and Emerson H. Tiller. 1998. “Judicial Partisanship and Obedience to Legal Doctrine: Whistleblowing on the Federal Courts of Appeals.” Yale Law Journal 107:2155. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Sickels, Robert J. 1965. "The Illusion of Judicial Consensus: Zoning Decisions in the Maryland Court of Appeals." American Political Science Review 59: 100. [ J-Stor stable URL]

VII. Limitations on Judicial Power (November 14)

A. Internal Checks

B. Institutional Checks

C. Checks Imposed by the American System of Separated Powers

  1. Political Checks by Executives

  2. Legislative Restrictions

D. Checks from the States

E. Checks from the People

Readings

  • Spaeth, Harold J. "The Judicial Restraint of Mr. Justice Frankfurter." Midwest Journal of Political Science 8: 22. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Epstein, Lee and Jack Knight. 1998. The Choices Justices Make. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, Chapter 1. [handout]

  • Murphy, Walter F. 1959. "Lower Court Checks on Supreme Court Power." American Political Science Review 53: 1017. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Review: Cross, Frank B. and Emerson H. Tiller. 1998. “Judicial Partisanship and Obedience to Legal Doctrine: Whistleblowing on the Federal Courts of Appeals.” Yale Law Journal 107:2155. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Review: Sunstein, Cass R., David Schkade, and Lisa Michelle Ellman. 2004. "Ideological Voting on Federal Courts of Appeals: A Preliminary Investigation." Virginia Law Review 90: 301 (2004). [ .pdf]

  • Songer, Donald R., Jeffrey A. Segal, and Charles M. Cameron. 1994. "The Hierarchy of Justice: Testing a Principal Agent Mdel of Supreme Court-Circuit Court Interactions." American Journal of Political Science 38: 673. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Ex parte McCardle, 74 (7 Wall.) U.S. 506 (1869)

  • Eskridge, William N., Jr. 1991. "Reneging on History: Playing the Court/Congress/President Civil Rights Game." California Law Review 79: 613. [ .pdf]

  • Revesz, Richard L. 2001. "Congressional Influence on Judicial Behavior." New York University Law Review 76:1100. [ .pdf]

  • Segal/Spaeth

  • Spiller, Pablo T. and Emerson H. Tiller. 1996. "Invitations to Override: Congressional Reversals of Supreme Court Decisions." International Review of Law and Economics 16: 503.

  • Review: Hall, Melinda Gann. 1987. "Constituent Influence in State Supreme Courts: Conceptual Notes and a Case Study." Journal of Politics 49: 1117. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Review Hall reading: Hall, Melinda Gann. 1987. "Constituent Influence in State Supreme Courts: Conceptual Notes and a Case Study." Journal of Politics 49: 1117. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Kuklinski, James H. and John E. Stanga. 1979. "Political Participation and Government Responsiveness: The Behavior of the California Superior Courts." American Political Science Review 73: 1090. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • McGuire, Kevin T. and James A. Stimson. 2004. "The Least Dangerous Branch Revisited: New Evidence on Supreme Court Responsiveness to Public Preferences. Journal of Politics 66: 101. [ .pdf]

VIII. Trials (November 21)

A. The Adversarial Process

B. Juries

C. Fact Finding and Sentencing

D. Case Study: The Death Penalty

Readings:

  • Diamond, Shari Seidman. 2003. "Truth, Justice, and the Jury." Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 26: 143. [ .pdf]

  • Schanzenbach, Max and Emerson H. Tiller. 2004. "Instrument Choice Theory and Criminal Sentencing: Strategic Judging Under the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Working paper. [ .pdf]

  • Baldus, David C., Chalres Pulaski, and George Woodworth. 1982. "Comparative Review of Death Sentences: An Empirical Study of the Georgia Experience." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 74: 661. [ .pdf] (Note: The "Baldus Study" data are available at the ICPSR's website.

  • McCleskey v. Kemp, Brief for Petitioner [ .pdf]

  • McCleskey v. Kemp, 481 U.S. 279 (1987)

  • Baldus, David C. 1995. "The Death Penalty Dialogue Beween Law and Social Science." Indiana Law Journal 70:1033. [ .pdf]

  • Liebman, James S., et al. "A Broken System: Error Rates in Capital Cases, 1973-1995." [Project web site]

IX. Precedents and Legal Reasoning (November 28)

A. Reasoning by Example

B. Ratio Decidendi versus Dicta

C. Treatment of Precedent

D. Precedents and Decision Making

Readings

  • Levi, Edward H. 1948. An Introduction to Legal Reasoning. University of Chicago Press. [handout]

  • Carter, Lief H. 1988. Reason in Law. New York: HarperCollins. [handout]

  • Caminker, Evan H. 1994. "Why Must Inferior Courts Obey Superior Court Precedents?" Stanford Law Review 46: 817. [ .pdf]

  • Segal, Jeffrey A. 1984. "Predicting Supreme Court Cases Probabilistically: The Search and Seizure Cases, 1962-1981." American Political Science Review 78: 891. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • George, Tracey E. and Lee Epstein. 1992. "On the Nature of Supreme Court Decision Making." American Political Science Review 86: 32 [project web site]

  • Symposium on precedent in the American Journal of Political Science, 40: 971. [ Segal and Spaeth] [ Brisbin] [ Epstein and Knight]
    [all J-Stor stable URLs]

  • Gillman, Howard. 2001. "What's Law Got to Do with It?" Journal of Law & Social Inquiry 26: 465. [ .pdf]

  • Richards, Mark J. and Herbert M. Krtizer. 2002. "Jurisprudential Regimes in Supreme Court Decision Making." American Political Science Review 96: 305. [ .pdf]

  • Spriggs, James F. II and Thomas G. Hansford. 2001. "Explaining the Overruling of U.S. Supreme Court Precedent." Journal of Politics 63: 1091. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Benesh, Sara C. and Malia Reddick. 2002. "Overruled: An Event History Analysis of Lower Court Reaction to Supreme Court Alteration of Precedent." Journal of Politics 64: 534. [ .pdf]

X. Statutory Interpretation, Constitutional Interpretation (December 5)

A. Modes of Interpretation

B. Social Science Approaches

C. Gendered Judging in the Statutory and Constitutional Contexts

Readings:

  • For background: Murphy, Walter F., et al. 2006. Courts, Judges, & Politics. New York: McGraw-Hill, pages 491-501; 539-558. [handout]

  • Knight, Jack & Lee Epstein. 1996. "On the Struggle for Judicial Supremacy." Law & Society Review 30: 87. [project web site]

  • Review: Eskridge, William N., Jr. 1991. "Reneging on History: Playing the Court/Congress/President Civil Rights Game." California Law Review 79: 613. [ .pdf]

  • Phelps, Glenn A. and John B. Gates. 1991. "Myth of Jurisprudence: Interpretive Theory in the Constitutional Opinions of Justices Rehnquist and Brennan." Santa Clara Law Review 31: 567. [ .pdf]

  • Howard, Robert M. and Jeffrey A. Segal. 2002. "An Original Look at Originalism." Law & Society Review 36: 113. [handout]

  • Baldez, Lisa, Lee Epstein, and Andrew D. Martin. 2006 (in press). Does the U.S. Constitution Need an ERA? Journal of Legal Studies [project web site]

  • Peresie, Jennifer. 2005. "Female Judges Matter: Gender and Collegial Decisionmaking in the Federal Appellate Courts." Yale Law Journal 114: 1759. [ .pdf]

XI. The Impact of Judicial Decisions (December 12)

Readings:

  • Rosenberg, Gerald N. 1991. The Hollow Hope. University of Chicago Press. pages 1-156.

  • Ansolabehere, Stephen, Alan Gerber, and Jim Snyder. 2002. "Equal Votes, Equal Money: Court-Ordered Redistricting in American States." American Political Science Review 96: 767. [ .pdf]

  • Donohue, John J. and Steven D. Levitt. 2001. "The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime." Quarterly Journal of Economics 116: 279. [ .pdf]

  • Cassell, Paul G. and Bret S. Hayman. 1996. "Police Interrogation in the 1990s: An Empirical Study of the Effects of Miranda." UCLA Law Review 43: 839.

  • Hoekstra, Valerie J. and Jeffrey A. Segal. 1996. "The Shepherding of Local Public Opinion: The Supreme Court and Lamb's Chapel." Journal of Politics 58: 1079. [ J-Stor stable URL]

  • Spriggs, James F. II. 1996. "The Supreme Court and Federal Administrative Agencies: A Resouce-Based Theory and Analysis of Judicial Impact." American Journal of Political Science 40: 1122. [ J-Stor stable URL]