NCJ Number
115472
Journal
Judicature Volume: 72 Issue: 4 Dated: (December-January 1989) Pages: 247-253,256
Date Published
1989
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study contrasts William Rehnquist's judicial decisions during his last two terms as associate justice (1984-85) with his first two terms as chief justice (1986-87), using data provided by a preliminary version of the National Science Foundation-funded U.S. Supreme Court judicial data base project.
Abstract
The unit of analysis is the orally argued case citation. The focus of the analysis is on whether Rehnquist as chief justice has changed his views and/or behaved strategically. Results indicate no appreciable change in the frequency with which he has voted liberally or conservatively either in the majority or in dissent, regardless of whether or not the case pertains to civil rights and liberties. Neither has there been any appreciable change in his voting in unanimous decisions, those that are minimum winning, or cases in which he is the sole dissenter. At the strategic level, there is no evidence that he has modified his conservative views to write liberal majority opinions. Thus, whether associate or chief justice, Rehnquist has apparently been a consistent jurist with no detectable change in motives or behavior. 3 tables, 33 footnotes.