Interventions and Power in Judicial Hierarchies: Appellate Courts in England and the United States

• NCJ Number: 124055
• Journal: Law and Society Review Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Dated: (1990) Pages: 71-103
• Author(s): B Atkins
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 33 pages
• Grant Number(s): SES-86-7878
• Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey (Cross-Cultural)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the role of American and British appellate courts.

Abstract

The data focus on the intervention behavior of the immediate appellate courts and their interaction with their respective courts of last resorts and reveal more similarities than differences. The American and British judicial hierarchies differ in their relation to their respective political systems. The American model is highly integrated into the mainstream of political activity, while the British model is much less so. The recruitment of British judges shows virtually no trace of partisanship, and the political saliency and content of the judges' decisions are far less obvious than that of their counterparts in the United States. 34 notes, 5 tables, 48 references. (Publisher abstract modified)