Essay

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Do Justices Tip Their Hands with Questions at Oral Argument in the U.S. Supreme Court?

Authors: Timothy R. Johnson (University of Minnesota Law School) , Ryan C. Black (Washington University in St. Louis) , Jerry Goldman (Northwestern University) , Sarah A. Treul (University of Minnesota)

Abstract

Part I of this Essay focuses on what Justices and scholars have written and said about oral arguments generally and the role these proceedings play in the Court’s decision-making process. Part II examines the few existing studies that address the question posed here. Part III lays out the data used to test this hypothesis; Part IV presents the methodology; and Part V discusses the results.

Keywords: Judicial process, Forensic oratory, U.S. Supreme Court, Empirical analysis, Judicial decision-making

How to Cite: Johnson, T. , Black, R. , Goldman, J. & Treul, S. (2009) “Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Do Justices Tip Their Hands with Questions at Oral Argument in the U.S. Supreme Court?”, Washington University Journal of Law and Policy. 29(1).