The Impact of War on the U.K. Appellate Committee of the House of Lords, 1949-2008.

This paper presents an empirical study of wartime effects on the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords over the last half century. Building on patterns observed on U.S. American appellate courts, I argue that British Law Lords may vote more conservatively and may become more deferential to the elected branches when war concerns are salient. Looking at the universe of cases decided between 1945 and 2008, the findings suggest shifts both in outcomes involving the government as well as in civil liberties cases that do not involve the government. The House of Lords is more likely to vote conservative in civil rights and liberties cases during intense war. Instead of becoming more deferential, though, the findings suggest that the government is more likely to lose in the Appellate Committee during intense war. The effect, however, is conditioned on low approval ratings of the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]