Replication Data for: Intrinsic Motivation in Public Service: Theory and Evidence from State Supreme Courts

This paper provides a theoretical and empirical analysis of the intrinsic preferences of state appellate court judges. We construct a panel data set using published decisions from all state supreme courts from 1947 to 1994. We estimate the effects of changes in judge employment conditions on a number of measures of judicial performance. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that judges are intrinsically motivated to provide high-quality decisions, and that at the margin they prefer quality over quantity. When judges face less time pressure -- whether from the introduction of an intermediate appellate court, the weakening of electoral demands, or an increased judge salary -- they write more well-researched opinions that are cited more often by later judges. These effects are strongest when judges have more discretion to select their case portfolio.