Not the Whole Story: The Impact of Justices' Values on Supreme Court Decision Making

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald R. Songer ◽  
Stefanie A. Lindquist
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Supreme Court Decision ◽  
Court Decision ◽  
The Impact

Congressional Preferences, Perceptions of Threat, and Supreme Court Decision Making

2000 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 490-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
THOMAS G. HANSFORD ◽  
DAVID F. DAMORE
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Supreme Court Decision ◽  
Court Decision ◽  
Court Decisions ◽  
Logit Analysis ◽  
Issue Area ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Mixed Support ◽  
The Impact

Previous research examining the impact of extra-Court factors on Supreme Court decision making has developed conflicting theoretical perspectives supported with limited empirical evidence. In an attempt to better assess the influence of Congress on Court decisions, we develop a theoretical model specifying the conditions under which congressional preferences might constrain justices' votes on the merits. More specifically, we argue that previous congressional overrides in an issue area and case-level interest group activity make congressional preferences salient for the justices. In these threat situations, the justices will be most likely to shift their final votes on the merits in a manner congruent with the preferences of Congress. Based on our logit analysis of data on all orally argued statutory cases from 1963 to 1995, we find mixed support for our hypotheses and conclude that there are limited conditions under which congressional preferences may influence a justice's vote.

scholarly journals What Moves the Court? Interest Groups, Public Opinion, Court Composition and the Solicitor General

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 245-260
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Interest Groups ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Supreme Court Decision ◽  
Court Decision ◽  
Solicitor General ◽  
The Impact

The impact of several major types of interest groups, the solicitor general, Court composition, and American public opinion on U.S. Supreme Court decision-making is tested with a poll-matched database from the Warren, Burger, and Rehnquist Courts. Results indicate that the solicitor general’s position, American public opinion, Court composition, and a few (but not most) interest groups all significantly and independently affect Supreme Court decision-making.

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