Strategic Leadership and Political Change on the Canadian Supreme Court
Analyzing the Transition to Chief Justice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6239452 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Matthew E Wetstein (SAN JOAQUIN DELTA COLLEGE), C L Ostberg (University of the Pacific) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 653-673 |
| Publication date | 2005-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0008-4239 • E-ISSN: 1744-9324 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0008423905040655 |
| OpenAlex | W2105317282 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 24 |
This study discusses theoretical concepts from two strands of public law literature, namely rational choice accounts of strategic behaviour and notions of judicial leadership, and examines their relevance for explaining changes in judicial behaviour on the Canadian Supreme Court. Specifically, we test whether a justice who is elevated to the chief position strategically alters his/her patterns of judicial behaviour. The study uses a multiple regression equation that controls for rival hypotheses, and uncovers evidence of strategic change by all three modern chief justices. While Justices Dickson and Lamer appear to have consolidated their position as task leaders once they were promoted to the helm of the Court, Justice McLachlin made a remarkable change in her dissent behaviour to emerge as the preeminent social leader on her own Court. The study demonstrates that rational choice models of strategic behaviour and judicial leadership are useful theoretical frameworks for explaining changes in behaviour once recent Canadian justices were promoted to the chief position. Moreover, the findings illustrate the importance of incorporating critical institutional features when studying changing behaviour in other high courts around the world. Résumé. Cette étude discute des concepts théoriques de deux composantes de la littérature du droit public, à savoir les témoignages de choix rationnel en fait de comportement stratégique et les notions de leadership judiciaire, et examine leur pertinence pour expliquer les changements de comportement judiciaire à la Cour suprême du Canada. Plus précisément, nous cherchons à déterminer si un juge qui devient juge en chef impose des changements stratégiques à son comportement judiciaire. L'étude utilise une équation de régression multiple qui neutralise les hypothèses rivales, et découvre des preuves de changement stratégique chez les trois juges en chef contemporains. Tandis que les juges Dickson et Lamer semblent avoir consolidé leur position de responsables de tâche après leur accession à la tête de la Cour, Madame le juge McLachlin transforma son comportement de dissidente pour devenir le leader social confirmé de sa propre Cour. L'étude démontre que les modèles de choix rationnel en fait de comportement stratégique et de leadership judiciaire sont des cadres théoriques utiles pour expliquer les changements de comportement des juges canadiens récemment promus à la position de juges en chef. En outre, l'étude démontre qu'il est important d'incorporer certaines caractéristiques institutionnelles clés lorsqu'on examine les changements de comportement dans d'autres tribunaux de grande instance de par le monde
Dissent · Economic Justice · Economics · Humanities · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Position (finance · Relevance (law · Sociology · Supreme court · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law · Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems · Legal Education and Practice Innovations · Philosophy
Elements of judicial strategy
The Supreme Court and the Attitudinal Model Revisited
The Charter Dialogue between Courts and Legislatures (Or Perhaps the Charter of Rights Isn't Such a Bad Thing after All)
The Judicial Mind Revisited
The Charter Revolution and the Court Party
Selecting Appeals for Judicial Review in Canada
Acclimation Effects on the Supreme Court of Canada
Leadership and Consensus on the U.S. Supreme Court
Expanding the ‘Dialogue’ Debate
Divisions of Opinion Among Justices of the U. S. Supreme Court, 1939–1941
Measuring Policy Change in the U.S. Supreme Court
On the Mysterious Demise of Consensual Norms in the United States Supreme Court
Decision Making in the Canadian Supreme Court
Membership Change and Collective Voting Change in the United States Supreme Court
Attitudinal Dimensions of Supreme Court Decision Making in Canada
Canadian Constraints on Judicialization from Without
Repeat Litigators and Agenda Setting on the Supreme Court of Canada
Judicial Decisionmaking and the Use of Panels in the Canadian Supreme Court and the South African Appellate Division
Do Bills of Rights Matter? The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,32 |
| Citation span | 2007 - 2026 (20) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |