Decision Making in the U.S. Courts of Appeals [Paperback]

Frank Cross (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0804757135 | ISBN-13: 978-0804757133 | Publication Date: April 16, 2007 | Edition: 1

This groundbreaking book analyzes the decisions made by the United States circuit courts over the past half century. These courts have a profound impact on the law—they issue many more decisions in many more areas of law than the Supreme Court. Cross demonstrates that while the courts' judges are influenced by ideology and by the appointing president, legal requirements exercise a much stronger influence on their decisions. He also shows that these courts are independent of the other branches of government and free from undue influence of various parties. The book further introduces new research on the precedent-setting power of decisions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Cross provides useful and novel integration of legal, political science, and economic research to understand circuit court decision making. His new avenues for empirical analysis... advance his goal of initiating future theoretical and empirical research by legal and social science scholars. Many of his findings will have great utility for those seeking determinants of circuit court and other collegial decision making."—Law & Politics Book Review

"Cross's new book is a law professor's effort to explore the competing explanations for judicial decisions... The book will certainly not resolve the debate over the attitudinal model, but it will be impossible for specialists to ignore it as they continue to work toward a comprehensive understanding of judicial decision making."—CHOICE

"This is one of the most important empirical studies ever of the federal judiciary. Many of Cross's findings are striking and fresh, and he is able to show that the simple 'realist' story underrates the role of legal constraints—and that ideology matters too."—Cass Sunstein, University of Chicago

"Decision Making in the U.S. Courts of Appeals is a fascinating, indeed seminal, piece of work full of often surprising insights. Any serious political scientist and interdisciplinary legal academic will have to read this book and confront its careful, meticulously designed arguments and evidence."—Sanford Levinson, University of Texas

From the Inside Flap

This groundbreaking book analyzes the decisions made by the United States circuit courts over the past half century. These courts have a profound impact on the law—they issue many more decisions in many more areas of law than the Supreme Court. Cross demonstrates that while the courts' judges are influenced by ideology and by the appointing president, legal requirements exercise a much stronger influence on their decisions. He also shows that these courts are independent of the other branches of government and free from undue influence of various parties. The book further introduces new research on the precedent-setting power of decisions.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (April 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804757135
• ISBN-13: 978-0804757133
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,892,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank B. Cross is the Herbert D. Kelleher Centennial Professor of Business Law and a professor at The University of Texas at Austin Law School, where his research centers on judicial decision-making, the economics of law and litigation, and traditional policy and doctrinal issues in administrative law. Widely published, his works have appeared in the Yale Law Journal, Columbia Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, New York University Law Review, Texas Law Review, Virginia Law Review, Cornell Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Northwestern Law Review, and UCLA Law Review. He has also published in peer-reviewed journals and written several books. A former president of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, Professor Cross received his B.A. s, including West's Business Law: Text & Cases, tenth edition (2006), West's Business Law Alternate Edition, tenth edition (2007), Fundamentals of Business Law, seventh edition (2007), and two versions of Business Law Today, seventh edition (2008), plus the Comprehensive Edition (2007). He has also published in learned journals and is past editor-in-chief of the American Business Law Journal.