Does Actual Innocence Matter? A Proposed Statistical Analysis of Appellate Outcomes
The criminal justice system's most fundamental promise is that the innocent will not be punished. Yet we know from decades...
Criminal justice
Bringing Statistical Rigor to Appellate Standards: A Framework for Judicial Clarity
The American appellate system faces a persistent problem that undermines the rule of law: the widespread confusion over which standards...
Do Appellate Courts Actually Correct Errors?
The conventional wisdom about appellate courts is straightforward: they exist to correct errors made by trial courts. This textbook description...
Justice Scalia’s Strategic Voting in Arizona v. Fulminante
Understanding how Supreme Court justices make decisions has long fascinated political scientists. While many analyses focus on the attitudinal model—the...
Do Judges and Juries See Cases Differently? Rethinking the Severity Gap
A well-documented finding in legal research is that judges tend to render more severe verdicts than juries do when deciding...
Cases that Illustrate Felony-Murder Rule
Teaching a class on judicial process and politics, I located some interesting cases to illustrate the felony-murder rule. I think...
Requiring that States Pay Jurors at Least Minimum Wage for Serving on Juries
Jury service is a cornerstone of the American justice system, yet jurors in many states receive woefully inadequate compensation for...
Now Dumber for Reading Supreme Court Opinions
When I read a Supreme Court opinion like Brown v. Davenport decision, 142 S. Ct. 1510 (2022), I can't help...
Racial Segregation in American Prisons: How Widespread?
Racial segregation seems to be standard practice in prison. Prisoners are assigned to cells or cell block based on their...
Leveraging Television for Inmate Education: A Simple Solution for Expanding Educational Opportunities in Prisons
Within the confines of correctional facilities, inmates often find themselves with ample free time, and televisions are a common fixture...