What influences the Supreme Court?

Rachael K. Hinkle co-authored an article in The Washington Post based on a new book Hinkle co-wrote with Morgan L.W. Hazelton of Saint Louis University, in which they examine how information flows to the Supreme Court and what the justices do with this information. The reasoning in amicus briefs shows up in the decisions, they found. Lawyers’ experience makes a big difference as well. “Our research indicates that the Supreme Court produces opinions that borrow more from the briefs written by experienced attorneys than from the others,” Hinkle and Hazelton write.