Are Judges Political? An Empirical Analysis of the Federal Judiciary

Authors

Cass R. Sunstein
David Schkade
Lisa M. Ellman
Andres Sawicki, University of Miami School of LawFollow

Document Type

Book

Publication Date

2006

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the United States has seen an intense debate about the composition of the federal judiciary. Are judges “activists”? Should they stop “legislating from the bench”? Are they abusing their authority? Or are they protecting fundamental rights, in a way that is indispensable in a free society? Are Judges Political? cuts through the noise by looking at what judges actually do. Drawing on a unique data set consisting of thousands of judicial votes, Cass Sunstein and his colleagues analyze the influence of ideology on judicial voting, principally in the courts of appeal.

ISBN

9780815733171

Publisher Information

Brookings Institute Press

Recommended Citation

Cass R. Sunstein, David Schkade, Lisa M. Ellman, and Andres Sawicki, Are Judges Political? An Empirical Analysis of the Federal Judiciary (2006).