Oral Arguments Before the Supreme Court: An Empirical Approach

by Lawrence Wrightsman

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199709434
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/16/2008
Series:	American Psychology-Law Society Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

Table of Contents

Series Foreword     vii
Preface     ix
Acknowledgments     xiii
Oral Arguments: Are They no Longer Essential?     3
Justices' Views on the Significance of Oral Arguments     25
The Behavior of Advocates before the Supreme Court     43
Justices' Questions and Statements     67
The Idiosyncratic Nature of Justices' Behavior during Oral Arguments     85
Oral Arguments in a Landmark Case     105
Predicting Votes from Oral Arguments     127
Contentious Issues     147
References     167
Index     179