Institutional rules and decision making on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Abstract

The U.S. Supreme Court, an unelected body, wields authority over issues at the heart of our democratic system (e.g., voting rights, abortion, etc.). This project examines how the Court’s rules and norms influence the choices justices make. Using pre-existing datasets and previously unanalyzed archival data from the justices’ personal papers, I investigate the influence of the decision-making process on the positions justices take, both at conference and on the final merits, and how justices decide which cases to accept for review. Given justices’ unelected status, life tenure, and penchant for secrecy, it is important that we improve our understanding of judicial decision-making. My dissertation seeks to further our understanding of the interplay between institutional rules and decision-making on the Supreme Court.