Racial Bias Found in the Assignment of the Writing of Majority Opinions in State Supreme Court Cases

Researchers at the University of Georgia and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have published a new study showing that there is racial bias in the assigning of the duty of writing majority opinions in state supreme courts. Majority opinions in state supreme court cases are important tools for shaping judicial precedent and public policy.

The study of cases from all 50 states during the 1995 to 1998 period, found that Black male judges were 4 percent less likely to be assigned the average case than White male judges in states where cases were assigned at the discretion of a judicial official, and 2 percent less likely in states with the “random” assignment of the duty of writing the majority opinion. However, when random-based courts assigned high-profile cases, Black male judges were 43 percent less likely than their White male colleagues to receive these assignments.

The study, which will appear in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, can be accessed here.

Related Articles

1 COMMENT

  1. The findings of racial bias in the assignment of writing of majority opinions in state supreme court cases by the researchers at the University of North Carolina and the University of Georgia should not come a surprise to anyone that has a modicum of intelligence who understands the depth and complexity of white racism in the Age of Obama.
    We should never loose sight that the United States of America was established as a white society, founded upon the genocide of another race, and then the enslavement of yet another.
    Racism is prevalent and pervasive in all of the institutions in this society from the Obama Campaign Headquarters in Chicago to various state legislative bodies.
    What is the treatment plan to cure racism in the 21st. Century?

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

New Online Library for the Study of Philanthropy and Black Churches

The new Philanthropy and the Black Church digital collection of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, an organization founded by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, and the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, aims to provide resources for Black churches and other philanthropic institutions to partner together on strategic initiatives.

Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers

Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Establishes New Research Center to Address Segregation in Local Area

The new Center for Equity Practice and Planning Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee aims to study the history of racial segregation in the local area and advance racially equitable practices in urban planning.

Featured Jobs