Early Panel Announcement, Settlement and Adjudication

57 Pages Posted: 13 Sep 2006

See all articles by Samuel P. Jordan

Samuel P. Jordan

Saint Louis University - School of Law

Abstract

Federal appellate courts have significant discretion to set the internal policies that govern the appeals process, and they have used that discretion to institute policies designed to combat increasing caseloads. This Article takes a close look at one such policy: early announcement of panel composition in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. In stark contrast to every other circuit, the D.C. Circuit announces panel composition to litigants in civil appeals well in advance of oral argument, and it does so at least in part to encourage settlement and control the court's workload. This Article concludes that although there are indications that the policy is serving its intended purpose, the effect is far from dramatic. To understand the limited effect, the Article first considers various barriers created by the content of the court's cue and by the ways that litigants respond to that content. The Article then explores how those barriers might alter the pool of cases that proceed to a merits decision.

Keywords: courts, procedure, judicial decisionmaking, settlement

Suggested Citation

Jordan, Samuel P., Early Panel Announcement, Settlement and Adjudication. Brigham Young University Law Review, 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=929487

Samuel P. Jordan (Contact Author)

Saint Louis University - School of Law ( email )

100 N. Tucker Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63101
United States
3149772795 (Phone)

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