1. Winners and Losers in Appellate Court Outcomes: A Comparative Perspective.
- Author
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Haynie, Stacia L., Randazzo, Kirk, Sheehan, Reginald S., and Songer, Donald R.
- Subjects
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APPELLATE courts , *LEGAL self-representation , *ACTIONS & defenses (Law) , *SCHOLARS , *LEGAL judgments - Abstract
The question of who wins and loses in appellate courts may be the most important question we seek to answer as judicial scholars. In fact, "Who gets what?" has traditionally been viewed as the central question in the study of politics generally. Therefore, understanding who wins in the courts is an essential component of a full appreciation of "the authoritative allocation of values" in society (Easton 1953). In this paper we examine the relationship between the status of litigants, especially the comparison of repeat player "haves" (RP) to one-shotters (OS) who are usually "have-nots," and their rates of success in top appellate courts in the common law world. A number of prior studies employing what is generally referred to as "party capability theory" have examined how the resources and litigation experience of litigants affect their chances for success. Using data from the highest courts of appeals across six countries we explore winners and losers in a comparative context. The results indicate that there is greater variation in who wins and who loses than party capability theory would suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010