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Electoral Pressures and the Legal System: Friends or Foes?

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The Pursuit of Justice

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Abstract

Decisions made within the legal system are typically viewed as being impartial informed only by the testimony and evidence presented and legal precedent. For this reason, many scholars treat legal decisions as exogenous events, that is, that they are independent of preexisting conditions (see, for example, Baicker and Gordon 2006). However, political scientists and legal analysts have long understood that in many cases factors outside what is presented in the courtroom affect the outcomes of legal cases.1 The race, gender, and political affiliation of individuals involved in the legal process have all been found to play a role in determining legal outcomes.2

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Authors
  1. Russell S. Sobel
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  2. Matt E. Ryan
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  3. Joshua C. Hall
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Editor information

Edward J. López

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© 2010 The Independent Institute

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Sobel, R.S., Ryan, M.E., Hall, J.C. (2010). Electoral Pressures and the Legal System: Friends or Foes?. In: López, E.J. (eds) The Pursuit of Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230109490_3

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