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Stare decisis and judicial log‐rolls: a gains‐from‐trade model
Author(s) -
Cameron Charles M.,
Kornhauser Lewis A.,
Parameswaran Giri
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the rand journal of economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.687
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1756-2171
pISSN - 0741-6261
DOI - 10.1111/1756-2171.12288
Subject(s) - compromise , doctrine , value (mathematics) , space (punctuation) , economics , law and economics , property (philosophy) , microeconomics , law , political science , computer science , philosophy , epistemology , machine learning , operating system
The practice of horizontal stare decisis requires that judges occasionally decide cases “incorrectly.” What sustains this practice? Given a heterogeneous bench, we show that the increasing differences in dispositional value property of preferences generates gains when judges trade dispositions over the case‐space. These gains are fully realized by implementing a compromise rule— stare decisis . Absent commitment, we provide conditions that sustain the compromise in a repeated game. When complete compromises become unsustainable, partial compromises still avail. Moreover, judges may prefer to implement partial compromises even when perfect ones are sustainable. Thus, stare decisis is consistent with a partially settled, partially contested legal doctrine.