The Psychology of the Supreme Court [Hardcover]

With the media spotlight on the recent developments concerning the Supreme Court, more and more people have become increasingly interested in the highest court in the land. Who are the justices that run it and how do they make their decisions?

The Psychology of the Supreme Courtby Lawrence S. Wrightsman is the first book to thoroughly examine the psychology of Supreme Court decision-making. Dr. Wrightsman's book seeks to help us understand all aspects of the Supreme Court's functioning from a psychological perspective. This timely and comprehensive work addresses many factors of influence including, the background of the justices, how they are nominated and appointed, the role of their law clerks, the power of the Chief Justice, and the day-to-day life in the Court. Dr. Wrightsman uses psychological concepts and research findings from the social sciences to examine the steps of the decision-making process, as well as the ways in which the justices seek to remain collegial in the face of conflict and the degree of predictability in their votes.

Psychologists and scholars, as well as those of us seeking to unravel the mystery of The Supreme Court of the United States will find this book to be an eye-opening read.

1. The Supreme Court: The Least Understood Branch
2. The Selective Nature of Supreme Court Justices
3. Steps in the Decision-Making Process
4. Day to Day in the Life of the Court
5. A Psychological Analysis of Decision Formation
6. The Rational-Choice Model in Judicial Decision Making
7. TheBush v. GoreDecision
8. How Individual Justices Affect Decisions
9. The Chief Justice: More Influential than Other Justices?
10. Can the Court's Decisions Be Predicted?
11. Evaluating the Process
References
Author Index
Subject Index

This book is a one-of-a-kind treat for social scientists, legal scholars, and interested lay people. By drawing on an array of empirical data sources, Prl,