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Perceived Masculinity Predicts U.S. Supreme Court Outcomes

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  • Chen, Daniel L.
  • Halberstam, Yosh
  • Yu, Alan

Abstract

Previous studies suggest a significant role of language in the court room, yet none has identified a definitive correlation between vocal characteristics and court outcomes. This paper demonstrates that voice-based snap judgments based solely on the introductory sentences of lawyers arguing in front of the Supreme Court of the United States predict outcomes in the Court. In this study, participants rated the opening statement of male advocates arguing before the Supreme Court between 1998 and 2012 in terms of masculinity, attractiveness, confidence, intelligence, trustworthiness, and aggressiveness. We found significant correlation between vocal characteristics and court outcomes and the correlation is specific to perceived masculinity even when judgment of masculinity is based only on less than three seconds of exposure to a lawyer’s speech sample. Specifically, male advocates are more likely to win when they are perceived as less masculine. No other personality dimension predicts court outcomes. While this study does not aim to establish any causal connections, our findings suggest that vocal characteristics may be relevant in even as solemn a setting as the Supreme Court of the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Daniel L. & Halberstam, Yosh & Yu, Alan, 2016. "Perceived Masculinity Predicts U.S. Supreme Court Outcomes," TSE Working Papers 16-682, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    • Handle: RePEc:tse:wpaper:30577
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tversky, Amos & Kahneman, Daniel, 1992. "Advances in Prospect Theory: Cumulative Representation of Uncertainty," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 5(4), pages 297-323, October.
    2. Phil McAleer & Alexander Todorov & Pascal Belin, 2014. "How Do You Say ‘Hello’? Personality Impressions from Brief Novel Voices," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-9, March.
    3. Marianne Latinus & Pascal Belin, 2012. "Perceptual Auditory Aftereffects on Voice Identity Using Brief Vowel Stimuli," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(7), pages 1-7, July.
    4. Marianne Bertrand & Esther Duflo & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2004. "How Much Should We Trust Differences-In-Differences Estimates?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(1), pages 249-275.
    5. William J. Mayew & Mohan Venkatachalam, 2012. "The Power of Voice: Managerial Affective States and Future Firm Performance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(1), pages 1-44, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Daniel L., 2016. "Priming Ideology: Why Presidential Elections Affect U.S. Judges," TSE Working Papers 16-681, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Aug 2016.
    2. Chen, Daniel L. & Prescott, J.J., 2016. "Implicit Egoism in Sentencing Decisions: First Letter Name Effects with Randomly Assigned Defendants," IAST Working Papers 16-56, Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST).
    3. Chen, Daniel L., 2018. "Judicial Analytics and the Great Transformation of American Law," TSE Working Papers 18-974, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    4. Chen, Daniel L. & Halberstam, Yosh & Yu, Alan, 2016. "Covering: Mutable Characteristics and Perceptions of Voice in the U.S. Supreme Court," TSE Working Papers 16-680, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Feb 2020.
    5. Chen, Daniel L., 2018. "Judicial Analytics and the Great Transformation of American Law," IAST Working Papers 18-87, Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST).
    6. Batsaikhan, Mongoljin & He, Tai-Sen & Li, Yupeng, 2021. "Accents, group identity, and trust behaviors: Evidence from Singapore," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

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