Campaign contributions, attorney characteristics, and judicial decisions

Abstract

The growth of campaign contributions in state supreme courts has caused researchers to investigate the relationship between the contributions and justices’ decisions on the merit. While past research has concentrated solely on campaign contributions, this paper considers social networking theory, and takes into account the possibility of attorney characteristics having an effect on judicial decisions. Through a logit analysis of Georgia and Illinois State Supreme Court decisions in 2003, this paper reveals mixed support for the effect of campaign contributions, and little support for the effect of attorney characteristics on judicial decisions.