Methods in Law and Courts Research

Abstract

Research into law and courts, like any subfield, faces its own particular methodological problems. Courts speak their own language, a language which is complicated and must be parsed carefully. Courts also communicate non-verbally: they have a particular symbolism which communicates certain messages and precludes others. Even where courts' decisions can be reduced to a simple dichotomy (did the judge grant or reject the appeal), courts rarely offered up isolated independent data points. This panel brings together papers which deal with these methodological problems using techniques of qualitative and quantitative analysis -- and indeed, techniques which challenge that very dichotomy.