Research on judicial behavior has yet to systematically examine the extent to which ideology affects voting behavior outside of rights-based issues. This study explores the predictive effect of judicial ideology on judicial votes in a country without a bill of rights: Australia. We develop an ex ante measure of judicial ideology and use original data on every Australian High Court decision between 1995 and 2019 to test whether, and in which types of cases, votes of Australia’s justices align with their ideology. The results show that ex ante ideology is predictive of voting behavior, regardless of policy area.
Is there a place for religious language in the public square? Which institution of government is best suited to deciding whether religion should influence law? Should states be required to treat religion and non-religion in the same way? How does the historical role of religion in a society influence the modern understanding of the role of religion in that society? This volume of essays examines the nature and scope of engagements between law and religion, addressing fundamental questions such as these. Contributors range from eminent scholars working in the fields of law and religion to important new voices who add vital and original ideas. From conservative to liberal, doctrinal to post-modernist and secular to religious, each contributor brings a different approach to the questions under discussion, resulting in a lively, passionate and thoughtful debate that adds light rather than heat to this complex area.
We examine whether Justices appointed to the High Court of Australia are more likely to find in favour of the Federal Government when the Prime Minister who appointed them is in office than when subsequent Prime Ministers are in office, over the period 1995 to 2019. We find evidence of a loyalty effect, even when subsequent Prime Ministers are of the same political party as the Prime Minister who appointed them. We distinguish between Justices appointed by Labor and Liberal Prime Ministers and show that the loyalty effect holds for Justices appointed by the Howard and Turnbull governments. These findings are important because they are central to the understanding of judicial independence and the rule of law.
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