The Impact of Specialized Courts on the Federal Judicial System 1925-1981: A Study of Federal Circuitsu27 Decision of Reversal

摘要

Today a considerable volume of federal caseload is under the jurisdiction of specialized courts at both the district level and circuit level. Ironically, neither judicial scholars nor political scientists treat this topic as a priority in their research agenda. Therefore, what the exact impact of specialized courts on the federal judicial system has not been carefully explored. The current study makes a primary effort to empirically figure out the systematic impact of specialized trial courts on the U.S. federal judicial system. By focusing on the simplest situation in history where both generalist trial courts and specialized trial courts were only under the direct supervision of generalist circuits, I find that specialized trial courts did enjoy a significant and considerable advantage in avoiding case reversal over their generalist counterparts.