The Distribution of Power in the U.S. Supreme Court
Abstract
This Note was written under a grant from the National Science Foundation for investigations into political science using methods of game theory. It describes the first application of a new "attitude-dependent" measure of voting power to a real political institution, namely the 1977-1978 term of the U.S. Supreme Court. The distribution of power among the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court is calculated using techniques of factor analysis in conjunction with a generalized Shapley-Shubik power index that takes into account the ideological or philosophical profiles of the voters. A three-dimensional profile space is constructed, based on data from the 1977-78 term. It is found that, because of his central position in this space, Justice Powell has the highest probability -- about 35 percent -- of being pivotal in a typical decision. Arthur Frank, a Rand consultant, is in the Department of Political Science at the University of Rochester.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA511706
Entities
People
- Arthur Q. Frank
- Lloyd Shapley
Organizations
- RAND Corporation