The most sophisticated theories of judicial behavior depict judges as rational actors who strategically pursue multiple goals when making decisions. However, these accounts tend to disregard the possibility that judges have heterogeneous goal preferences - that is, that different judges want different things. Integrating insights from personality psychology and economics, this book proposes a new theory of judicial behavior in which judges strategically pursue multiple goals, but their personality traits determine the relative importance of those goals. This theory is tested by analyzing the behavior of justices who served on the US Supreme Court between 1946 and 2015. Using recent advances in text-based personality measurement, Hall evaluates the influence of the 'big five' personality traits on the justices' behavior during each stage of the Court's decision-making process. What Justices Want shows that personality traits directly affect the justices' choices and moderate the influence of goal-related situational factors on justices' behavior.
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1. Who they are and what they want; 2. Goals and personality; 3. Measuring justice personality; 4. Agenda setting; 5. Opinion assignments; 6. Intra-court bargaining; 7. Voting on the merits; 8. Separate opinions; 9. Behind the black robes; Appendices; Notes; Index.
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'Professor Hall has produced a fascinating study of Supreme Court justices' personality traits that opens a new window on their decision-making. Using a sophisticated machine-learning model to assess the justices' written opinions, Hall identifies specific personality types and characteristics that ring true in many instances based on our own anecdotal experiences observing the Court. By blending psychological analysis with our current knowledge of judicial attitudes, Professor Hall's work makes a uniquely interesting and creative contribution to the literature.' Stefanie A. Lindquist, Arizona State University
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Examines how personality traits shape the behavior of US Supreme Court justices, proposing a new theory of judicial behavior.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781108462907
Publisert
2018-08-23
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
330 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Dybde
14 mm
Aldersnivå
P, U, 06, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
224

Forfatter

Biographical note

Matthew E. K. Hall is Associate Professor of Political Science and Law at the University of Notre Dame. He specializes in American political institutions with an emphasis on judicial behavior, elite personality, and policy implementation. His book The Nature of Supreme Court Power (Cambridge, 2011) won the C. Herman Pritchett Award for Best Book on Law and Courts from the American Political Science Association.