Common Law Evolution and Judicial Impact in the Age of Information

Abstract

All common law systems draw from the past. As judges draft opinions, they cite to relevant case law to guide their decisionmaking. These citations provide a record of how new legal developments draw on previous holdings. This Article presents the first thorough data-driven analysis of how different patterns of drawing from precedent are related to the influence a judicial opinion has on the evolution of the law.

Keywords: Empirical Legal Studies, Legal Networks, Judicial Impact