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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01dn39x491d
Title: CAN MONEY BUY “JUSTICE”? A NEW APPROACH TO STUDYING THE INFLUENCE OF CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS ON JUDICIAL DECISION MAKING
Authors: Schoeman, Isabel
Advisors: Kastellec, John
Department: Politics
Class Year: 2024
Abstract: A recent surge in campaign contributions to judicial candidates in the late 20th and early 21st century has increased public belief that impropriety exists within the U.S. judicial branch. Previous research supporting this belief has found a positive correlation between donations and judge votes but has struggled to overcome the challenge of ideological alignment of donors with judges in establishing causality. In an attempt to add to this growing body of literature, this thesis aims to answer the central research question: What is the causal effect of campaign contributions on the voting behavior of elected judges? To start, I introduce a new temporal approach to investigating the impact of campaign contributions on judicial decision making that largely avoids the issue of ideological alignment. I leverage a Texas campaign contribution regulation that creates distinct periods in which judges can and cannot receive contributions to compare how the voting behavior of judges changes when a “treatment” of campaign contributions is introduced. Using a logistic regression to analyze the relationship between campaign contributions by donor industries and votes by Texas Supreme Court justices between the years of 2009 and 2018, I find evidence that a statistically significant and positive correlation exists between campaign contribution amounts and judicial decision making in cases involving donor industries. However, I do not find any evidence for a strong causal effect of donations on judge votes in favor of donor industries. This thesis therefore provides evidence that contradicts public distrust of the judicial system and opens the door to further research on the relationship between money and judicial politics through the introduction of a new causal lens.
URI: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01dn39x491d
Type of Material: Princeton University Senior Theses
Language: en
Appears in Collections:Politics, 1927-2024

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