Replication Data for: The Influence of Home State Reputation and Public Opinion on Federal Circuit Court Judges

At least four observationally equivalent theories argue federal judges follow public opinion when they decide cases. Yet, there is mixed empirical support for these theories. Using recently released data on public opinion, we discover that state public opinion exerts a meaningful impact on federal circuit court judges’ votes. Perhaps more important, we leverage a number of different empirical approaches to identify which theory the data support. The data suggest circuit court judges may change along with society but also that they follow public opinion because they care about their reputations in their home states.

至少有四种观测等价（observationally equivalent）理论认为，联邦法官在裁判案件时会遵循公众舆论。然而，针对这些理论的实证研究结论却莫衷一是。借助最新公开的公众舆论数据，我们发现州级公众舆论对联邦巡回法院法官的表决行为产生了显著影响。或许更为关键的是，我们运用了多种不同的实证研究方法，以甄别数据所支持的理论。数据表明，联邦巡回法院法官既可能随社会变迁调整裁判立场，同时也会因在意其在所属家乡州的声誉而追随公众舆论。