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Trial and Error: Decision Reversal and Panel Size in State Courts

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  • Yosh Halberstam

Abstract

Using cross-state and within-court variation, I show that lower court decisions are reversed more frequently by larger, rather than smaller, panels of high court judges. Overall, conditional on being reviewed, the probability that a case is reversed by a high court judicial panel is less than one half. To understand these findings, I develop a simple framework that connects reversals and panel size with the extent to which judicial decision-making is congruent with the law. Assuming the high court rules correctly more often than not, my empirical results suggest that increasing judicial panel size erodes the quality of decision-making in high courts. These results are consistent with a large literature investigating small group size effects on productivity and output. (JEL D02, D71, H41, K40)

Suggested Citation

  • Yosh Halberstam, 2016. "Trial and Error: Decision Reversal and Panel Size in State Courts," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 32(1), pages 94-118.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:jleorg:v:32:y:2016:i:1:p:94-118.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jleo/ewv007
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dove, John A., 2018. "It's easier to contract than to pay: Judicial independence and US municipal default in the 19th century," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 1062-1081.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • K40 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - General

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