Replication Data for: Determinants of Writing Style on the US Circuit Courts of Appeals

A burgeoning literature in judicial politics concerns variation in elements of writing style. Some studies argue that judges strategically alter their writing style in anticipation of reactions from other actors. Others indicate that writing style is a function of judge characteristics or ability as well as case-related factors. We investigate the correlates of writing style in United States Circuit Courts of Appeals by analyzing a stratified random sample of 11,171 opinions. Construing style broadly to encompass several dimensions suggested by prior work, we find that case and judge characteristics explain substantially more variance in writing style than do strategic considerations.