State Courts

Polarization and Partisanship in State Supreme Court Elections

by

Vol. 105 No. 3 (2021) | Leaving Afghanistan

Click here to download this article’s accompanying appendix. The increase in partisan polarization in the United States over the last several decades is evident in a variety of ways: in roll-call […]

Read More »

Point Counterpoint

Jurors Asking Questions

by and

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

In some courtrooms, the practice of allowing jurors to pose questions to witnesses is gaining traction. Questioning witnesses allows jurors to clarify information and better understand the evidence and arguments […]

Read More »

Cover of "Judging Statutes"

Statutes — Clear or Confusing — What is a judge’s responsibility?

by

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

Second Circuit Judge Robert A. Katzmann brings his unique professional career, including his distinguished experience and expertise in legislature, in academia, and as a jurist, to his masterful new book, […]

Read More »

Money on a sign with dark clouds in the background

Independent Spending in State Supreme Court Elections After Citizens United

by

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

In January 2010, the United States Supreme Court ruled that bans on independent expenditures by labor unions and corporations violated the First Amendment’s guarantee of free expression. Given the polarizing […]

Read More »

Judge at dais with words "Have you lost your mind?"

DOS and DON’TS for Lawyers in a Changing World

by

Vol. 100 No. 2 (2016) | A Judge in Public Life

If you could see a dialogue bubble above the judge’s head showing what the judge is thinking while certain events unfold in the courtroom, you would be surprised at how […]

Read More »

Why Are State Judges Among Us?

by and

Vol. 100 No. 2 (2016) | A Judge in Public Life

A considerable number of judges are stepping away from the bench and their chambers in order to interact with the public through judicial outreach activities. Why? We execute a nationwide survey […]

Read More »

Crossing the line? Recent ethics cases show that the line between personal and judicial conduct can be blurred

by

Vol. 100 No. 3 (2016) | Who appointed me god?

Not all extrajudicial conduct on which the public may frown has been considered sanctionable in judicial discipline proceedings; after all, as Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in The Strange Case of Dr. […]

Read More »

The Fluidity of Judicial Coalitions

by , and

Vol. 100 No. 3 (2016) | Who appointed me god?

A surprising look at coalitions within the supreme courts of the United States and Indiana In June 2001, the United States Supreme Court decided three closely watched deportation cases by […]

Read More »

Up, Down, All Around

by

Vol. 100 No. 3 (2016) | Who appointed me god?

Legislative proposals to change state supreme court compositions gaining popularity The last decade has seen a dramatic uptick in legislative efforts to change the composition of state courts of last […]

Read More »

How the States Avoid Supreme Stalemates

by

Vol. 100 No. 4 (2016) | Steady As She Goes

State high courts avoid tie votes in a variety of ways, some more juris-prudent than others. Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing portends a seismic realtering of the Supreme Court’s ideological balance. […]

Read More »