Alumni relationships can affect court rulings between judges and lawyers
New research published in Economic Inquiry suggests that judges are more likely to rule in favor of plaintiffs when the attorney attended the same law school. This 'in-group bias' effect was found to be independent of school quality or other demographic factors.
Why it matters
This study raises significant ethical questions about judicial impartiality and whether professional ties should be disclosed in legal proceedings.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add as preferred source Credit: Sora Shimazaki from Pexels New research in Economic Inquiry provides evidence of in-group bias operating within the judiciary—a setting where impartiality is expected.
Using Florida medical malpractice cases with randomly assigned judges, investigators found that sharing a law school with the presiding judge boosted a plaintiff's attorney's probability of recovering damages by approximately 2 percentage points.
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