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The Phantom Philosophy? An Empirical Investigation Of Legal Interpretation, Jason J. Czarnezki
The Phantom Philosophy? An Empirical Investigation Of Legal Interpretation, Jason J. Czarnezki
Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications
This Article tests a model of judicial decisionmaking that incorporates elements of both the attitudinal model and the legal model, along with measures of institutional and judicial background characteristics such as collegiality and trial court experience. We develop a measure of interpretive philosophy relying primarily on judicial opinions, which we code for certain indicators of traditional interpretive approaches (i.e., the use of interpretive tools). The critical question is whether judges with similar interpretive philosophies are more likely to agree with one another when deciding cases. Our general finding is that ideology and interpretive philosophy are not significant predictors of agreement. …
The Dubitante Opinion, Jason J. Czarnezki
The Dubitante Opinion, Jason J. Czarnezki
Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications
A dubitante (pronounced d[y]oo-bi-tan-tee) opinion indicates that “the judge doubted a legal point but was unwilling to state that it was wrong.” Judges rarely write dubitante opinions or use the term, and informal polling suggests not many legal scholars are aware of the practice. This short essay endeavors to shed some light on the use of the term dubitante in judicial opinions and spark discussion as to the merits of the dubitante opinion--What is a dubitante opinion? When was the term first used, and how often is the term used? Who uses it and how? What are the consequences of …