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Punishing terrorists in the Spanish Supreme Court: has ideology played any role?

Author

Listed:
  • Nuno Garoupa

    (George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School)

  • Fernando Gómez Pomar

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

  • Adrián Segura

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

  • Sheila Canudas

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Abstract

Traditionally, the conventional views in legal and comparative literature portray civil-law judiciaries as legalistic bureaucracies insulated from political preferences. We investigate decisions on appeal for terrorist actions at the Spanish Supreme Court in the period 2000–2021. Our findings show that ideology (proxied by conservative/progressive affiliation of judges) is a predictor of prodefendant outcomes. Specifically, the results detect a pattern of behavior mediated by panel composition: a more conservative panel is less likely to be prodefendant than a more progressive panel in adjudicating terrorism criminal appeals. These findings confirm previous empirical studies about decisions by the Spanish Supreme Court in other areas of law and provide additional evidence to raise doubts about the conventional literature’s account of civil-law judiciaries.

Suggested Citation

  • Nuno Garoupa & Fernando Gómez Pomar & Adrián Segura & Sheila Canudas, 2023. "Punishing terrorists in the Spanish Supreme Court: has ideology played any role?," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 56(1), pages 1-21, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:ejlwec:v:56:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10657-023-09776-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10657-023-09776-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pellegrina, Lucia Dalla & Garoupa, Nuno & Gómez-Pomar, Fernando, 2017. "Estimating judicial ideal points in the Spanish Supreme Court: The case of administrative review," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 16-28.
    2. Nuno Garoupa & Laura Salamero-Teixidó & Adrián Segura, 2022. "Disagreeing in private or dissenting in public: an empirical exploration of possible motivations," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 147-173, April.
    3. Rainey, Carlisle & McCaskey, Kelly, 2021. "Estimating logit models with small samples," Political Science Research and Methods, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(3), pages 549-564, July.
    4. Brian Goff, 2006. "Supreme Court consensus and dissent: Estimating the role of the selection screen," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 127(3), pages 367-383, June.
    5. Nuno Garoupa & Marian Gili & Fernando Gómez‐Pomar, 2012. "Political Influence and Career Judges: An Empirical Analysis of Administrative Review by the Spanish Supreme Court," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(4), pages 795-826, December.
    6. Julio López-Laborda & Fernando Rodrigo & Eduardo Sanz-Arcega, 2018. "Correction to: Is the Spanish Constitutional Court an instrument of the central government against the Autonomous Communities?," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 338-338, September.
    7. Garoupa, Nuno & Gili, Marian & Gómez Pomar, Fernando, 2021. "Loyalty to the party or loyalty to the party leader: Evidence from the Spanish Constitutional Court," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    8. Julio López-Laborda & Fernando Rodrigo & Eduardo Sanz-Arcega, 2018. "Is the Spanish Constitutional Court an instrument of the central government against the Autonomous Communities?," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 317-337, September.
    9. Nuno Garoupa & Fernando Gomez-Pomar & Veronica Grembi, 2013. "Judging under Political Pressure: An Empirical Analysis of Constitutional Review Voting in the Spanish Constitutional Court," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 29(3), pages 513-534, June.
    10. Julio López-Laborda & Fernando Rodrigo & Eduardo Sanz-Arcega, 2019. "Consensus and dissent in the resolution of conflicts of competence by the Spanish Constitutional Court: the role of federalism and ideology," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 305-330, December.
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    15. Nuno Garoupa & Fernando Gómez-Pomar & Adrián Segura, 2022. "Ideology and Career Judges: Reviewing Labor Law in the Spanish Supreme Court," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 178(2), pages 170-190.
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