Oral Arguments Before the Supreme Court: An Empirical Approach

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Oxford University Press, Apr 16, 2008 - Psychology - 208 pages
Of all the steps in the Supreme Court's decision-making process, only one is visible to the public: the oral arguments. By carefully analyzing transcripts of all the oral arguments available to the public, Professor Wrightsman provides empirical answers to a number of questions about the operation of oral arguments. This book provides a model for understanding the dynamics of judicial decision making from an empirical perspective.
 

Contents

Are They no Longer Essential?
3
2 Justices Views on the Significance of Oral Arguments
25
3 The Behavior of Advocates before the Supreme Court
43
4 Justices Questions and Statements
67
5 The Idiosyncratic Nature of Justices Behavior during Oral Arguments
85
6 Oral Arguments in a Landmark Case
105
7 Predicting Votes from Oral Arguments
127
8 Contentious Issues
147
References
167
Index
179
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