Reputation and judicial decision-making

Abstract This paper develops a model of judicial decision-making based on a judge's concern for reputation and the interdependence of judges' decisions through precedent. The audience of judges plays a crucial role in the analysis. In general, we show that reputation can both restrain judicial discretion, but also inspire it if future judges are expected to be persuaded by a decision and follow it, thereby enhancing the authoring judge's reputation.

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