Supreme Court Decision Making


I.    Role of Law

    A.    Text

    B.    Precedent (Stare Decisis)

II.    Ideology of Justice

III.    Role Orientations

    A.    Activism

    B.    Self Restraint (Felix Frankfurter:  Proponent)

IV.    Group Interactions

    A.    Vote Fluidity -- Shifting Positions

        1.    Individual Justices

        2.    Court Holdings/Opinions

    B.    Opinion Assignment

V.    Court Constituencies

    A.    Legal Community

    B.    Government Actors

    C.    Public Opinion


Key Web Sites

Supreme Court Decision Making:  An Institutional Perspective

Ashwander Rules of Judicial Self Restraint

Justice Rehnquist on Clerking for Robert Jackson (video)