Supreme Court Decision Making
I. Role of Law
A. Text
B. Precedent (Stare Decisis)
II. Ideology of Justice
III. Role Orientations
A. Activism
B. Self Restraint (Felix Frankfurter: Proponent)
C. Ashwander Rules of Judicial Self Restraint
IV. Group Interactions
A. Vote Fluidity -- Shifting Positions
1. Individual Justices
2. Court Holdings/Opinions (Precedents and Overrulings)
B. Opinion Assignment
V. Court Constituencies
A. Legal Community
B. Government Actors
C. Public Opinion
Key Web Sites
Supreme Court Decision Making: An Institutional Perspective