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

这个合作项目调查了美国最高法院是如何形成联盟的。一个特别的焦点是撰写意见的过程，通常包括许多草案和立场的各种转变，因为可能决定案件的理论在法院成员之间进行辩论。提出的研究具有科学意义的原因有两个。首先，通过强调最高法院通过其意见阐明的政策和原则，而不是简单地计算输赢双方的选票，该项目重新聚焦了对美国法律体系的科学研究。第二，该项目通过研究由非民选官员组成的机构而不是立法机关和政党，扩大了联盟分析的领域。为了测试意见联盟模式，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五位大法官的论文，从首席大法官莫里森·r·韦特（Morrison R. Waite）到大法官瑟古德·马歇尔（Thurgood Marshall）。从这些来源中挑选出的具体信息包括：有争议的政策、大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，以及对案情和最终意见进行投票之间的时间长度。＊＊＊

9320284 EPSTEIN 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. ***