Judicial Transparency in an Age of Prediction

36 Pages Posted: 29 Apr 2008

See all articles by Adam M. Samaha

Adam M. Samaha

New York University School of Law

Date Written: April 2008

Abstract

The Empirical Legal Studies (ELS) movement is making strides toward understanding judicial behavior, and ELS models could become the foundation for more accurate prediction of judicial decisions. This essay raises two questions associated with this development. First, what would an age of predictable judicial behavior look like? Second, would satisfying the informational needs of ELS prediction models also exhaust the demands for "judicial transparency"? My conclusions are that a state of predictable judicial behavior, if somehow stable, would leave almost no litigation to observe; and that a prediction-oriented information policy would nearly meet the demands of today's transparency advocates. One shortfall involves the intrinsic/consumption value of adjudication for intellectuals and others. A prediction-oriented policy would not meet that demand and could even thwart its satisfaction which presents an unappreciated normative choice for information policy.

Keywords: judicial decisions, judicial behavior

Suggested Citation

Samaha, Adam M., Judicial Transparency in an Age of Prediction (April 2008). U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 216, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1126404 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1126404

Adam M. Samaha (Contact Author)

New York University School of Law ( email )

40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012-1099
United States

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