Modern technology has transformed legal discourse across state supreme courts. This article examines how these changes impact judicial communication patterns by analyzing citation networks among all 52 state supreme courts from 2010 onwards.
The Problem: Understanding the diffusion of legal precedent remains an understudied area despite extensive research on legislative policy diffusion.
We address this gap while acknowledging Caldeira's foundational work, noting significant institutional and technological shifts since their original study.
Our Approach & Findings️
Using a novel dataset tracking every citation in state supreme court decisions,
we investigated two key factors: geographical proximity between states and the prestige of cited courts.
Contrary to some assumptions about digital connectivity reducing regional differences, our analysis reveals:
- Proximity Matters: Closer states are more likely to cite one another's precedents
- Prestige Plays a Role: The higher the reputation of a court citing precedent, the more frequently it occurs across state decisions
Implications for Political Science Research
This study highlights how institutional structures and technological advancements shape legal discourse.
The findings suggest that despite increased connectivity through technology,
traditional regional influences persist in judicial communication networks.
