Table of Contents

Tables and Figures

Acknowledgments

1 Models of Judicial Behaviour and the Canadian Supreme Court

2 The Viability of the Attitudinal Model in the Canadian Context

3 Measuring Judicial Ideology

4 Attitudinal Conflict in Criminal Cases

5 Attitudinal Conflict in Civil Rights and Liberties Cases

6 Attitudinal Conflict in Economic Cases

7 Attitudinal Consistency in the Post-Charter Supreme Court

8 The Political and Social Implications of Post-Charter Judicial Behaviour

Notes

References

Index

Promotional Information

This important book adds much to our understanding of both judicial decision making and the Supreme Court of Canada. The authors analyze the impact of the justices' policy preferences on their choices and ... offer insights on the ways that institutional attributes of courts shape the behaviour of their judges. The book will contribute to the ongoing debate over the forces that shape judicial behaviour. -- Lawrence Baum, author of The Puzzle of Judicial Behavior and Judges and Their Audiences: A Perspective on Judicial Behavior In my estimation, this is the most comprehensive analysis of the individual voting patterns of Supreme Court justices to date. No other work ... provides as nuanced an analysis of the ideological variances of the justices across a range of policy issues. Ostberg and Wetstein have clearly demonstrated that value preferences and ideological considerations structure the voting records of justices ... Their work will bolster the call for greater public scrutiny of judicial appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada. -- James B. Kelly, author of Governing with the Charter: Legislative and Judicial Activism and Framers' Intent

About the Author

C.L. Ostberg is a professor of political science and director of the pre-law program at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Matthew E. Wetstein is a professor of political science at Delta College in Stockton, California.

Reviews

In this thorough study, Ostberg and Wetstein apply the attitudinal theory of judicial decision-making, well established in the United States as a predictor of judicial behavior, to Supreme Court of Canada cases between 1984 and 2003 ... The book is clearly and concisely written and of interest to both legal scholars and laypeople with an interest in politics.
*Saskatchewan Law Review, Vol. 71*