From Judge to Justice: Social Background Theory and the Supreme Court

Authors

Tracey E. George

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

North Carolina Law Review

Publication Date

2008

ISSN

0029-2524

Page Number

1333

Keywords

judicial process, United States Supreme Court, social background theory

Disciplines

Courts | Cultural Heritage Law | Law | Supreme Court of the United States

Abstract

The Roberts Court Justices already have revealed many differences from one another, but they also share a (possibly) significant commonality: Presidents promoted all of them to the U.S. Supreme Court from the U.S. Courts of Appeals. This means, of course, that they initially learned how to be judges while serving on a circuit court. How might the Justices' common route to the Court affect their actions on it? Social background theory hypothesizes that prior experience influences subsequent behavior such as voting, opinion writing, and coalition formation. This Article empirically analyzes promotion to the Supreme Court and examines the implications of promotion in light of the social background theory.

Recommended Citation

Tracey E. George, From Judge to Justice: Social Background Theory and the Supreme Court, 86 North Carolina Law Review. 1333 (2008)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty-publications/862