Interest in social science and empirical analyses of law, courts and specifically the politics of judges has never been higher or more salient. Consequently, there is a strong need for theoretical work on the research that focuses on courts, judges and the judicial process. The Routledge Handbook of Judicial Behavior provides the most up to date examination of scholarship across the entire spectrum of judicial politics and behavior, written by a combination of currently prominent scholars and the emergent next generation of researchers. Unlike almost all other volumes, this Handbook examines judicial behavior from both an American and Comparative perspective.
Part 1 provides a broad overview of the dominant Theoretical and Methodological perspectives used to examine and understand judicial behavior,
Part 2 offers an in-depth analysis of the various current scholarly areas examining the U.S. Supreme Court,
Part 3 moves from the Supreme Court to examining other U.S. federal and state courts, and
Part 4 presents a comprehensive overview of Comparative Judicial Politics and Transnational Courts.
Each author in this volume provides perspectives on the most current methodological and substantive approaches in their respective areas, along with suggestions for future research. The chapters contained within will generate additional scholarly and public interest by focusing on topics most salient to the academic, legal and policy communities.
Introduction: Understanding Judicial BehaviorA Work in Progress Robert
M. Howard and Kirk A. Randazzo. Part 1: Theoretical and Methodological
Perspectives
1. The Attitudinal Model Jeffrey A. Segal and Alan J. Champlin
2. Law and Politics in Judicial and Supreme Court Decision-Making J. Mitchell
Pickerill and Christopher Brough
3. Strategic Accounts of Judging Lee Epstein
and Jack Knight
4. Measuring Ideology on the Courts Michael A. Bailey
5.
Measuring Law Tom S. Clark Part 2: The U.S. Supreme Court
6. Historical
Development of Supreme Court Research Christopher N. Krewson and Ryan J.
Owens
7. Law and Policy in Decision Making Lawrence Baum
8. U.S. Supreme
Court Legitimacy: Unanswered Questions and an Agenda for Future Research
Michael J. Nelson and James L. Gibson
9. The Selection of U.S. Supreme Court
Justices James ben-Aaron, Paul M. Collins, Jr., and Lori A. Ringhand
10.
Opinion Writing in the U.S. Supreme Court Pamela C. Corley and Artemus Ward
11. Making Sense of the Supreme CourtPublic Opinion Relationship Peter K.
Enns and Patrick C. Wohlfarth
12. Of Political Principals and Legal
Principles: The Solicitor General of the United States Richard L. Pacelle,
Jr.
13. Oral Arguments Timothy R. Johnson and Thomas K. Pryor Part 3: Other
U.S. Courts
14. The Court of Appeals Susan Haire, Reginald S. Sheehan, and
Ali S. Masood
15. U.S. District Courts Christina L. Boyd and Ethan D. Boldt
16. What Is So Special About Specialized Courts in the United States? Isaac
Unah and Ryan Williams
17. Decision Making in State Supreme Courts Melinda
Gann Hall
18. Lower Federal Court Confirmations: Motivations and Strategies
Amy Steigerwalt and Wendy L.
Robert M. Howard is professor of political science at Georgia State University. His main research interests are the impact of courts and litigation on social and public policy, and judicial decision making by the federal courts. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Judging Law and Policy: Courts and Policymaking in the American Political System and Getting a Poor Return: Courts, Justice and Taxes. Dr. Howard has been the editor of the Justice System Journal as well as the editor of the book series Law, Courts, and Politics.
Kirk A. Randazzo is professor of political science at the University of South Carolina. His research focuses on judicial behavior in the United States under a variety of potential constraints and the effects of judicial independence for emerging democracies. His work has been published in several prestigious journals, including the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Political Research Quarterly. Additionally, he has published three books, the latest of which is Checking the Courts: Law, Ideology, and Contingent Discretion (co-authored with Richard W. Waterman), published in 2014 by SUNY Press.