Collaborative Research on the Formation of Opinion Coalitions on the U.S. Supreme Court

美国最高法院意见联盟形成的合作研究

基本信息

批准号：
9320666
负责人：
Carol Mershon
金额：
$ 7.54万
依托单位：
University of Virginia Main Campus
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
1994
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
1994-03-01 至 1999-02-28
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9320666&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative Research Formation Opinion Coalitions

项目摘要

9320666 MERSHON This collaborative project investigates how coalitions are formed on the U.S. Supreme Court. A particular focus is the process by which opinions are written, often including many drafts and various shifts in position as the doctrines that could decide a case are debated among the members of the Court. The proposed research has scientific significance for two reasons. First, by emphasizing the policies and doctrine enunciated by the Court through its opinions, rather than simply counting votes on winning and losing sides, the project refocuses the scientific study of the American legal system. Second, the project expands the field of coalition analysis by examining an institution composed of non-elected officials instead of legislatures and political parties. To test the model of opinion coalition, the project calls for the collection of data from two sources: the official records of the Supreme Court of the United States and the collected papers of five justices, spanning from Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite to Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall. Specific information culled from these sources includes: the policies at issue, the tentative and final votes of the justices, the size and composition of opinion coalitions, the number of opinion drafts, and the length of time between votes on the merits and final opinions. ***

9320666 MERSHON 该合作项目调查美国最高法院如何形成联盟。特别值得关注的是撰写意见的过程，通常包括许多草案和各种立场转变，因为法院成员之间就可以决定案件的原则进行辩论。这项研究具有科学意义，原因有二。首先，该项目通过强调法院通过其意见阐明的政策和原则，而不是简单地计算获胜方和失败方的选票，重新集中对美国法律体系的科学研究。其次，该项目通过考察由非民选官员而非立法机构和政党组成的机构，扩大了联盟分析的领域。为了测试意见联盟模型，该项目要求从两个来源收集数据：美国最高法院的官方记录和收集的五位法官的文件，从首席大法官莫里森·R·韦特到助理大法官瑟古德·马歇尔. 从这些来源收集的具体信息包括：有争议的政策、法官的暂定和最终投票、意见联盟的规模和组成、意见草案的数量以及对案情实质和最终意见进行投票之间的时间长度。 ***