Reappointment Incentives and Judicial Voting

Attitudinal models of judicial review anticipate ideological voting among judges on high courts. Yet other factors may motivate judicial decision-making, as well. This paper investigates whether specific institutional incentives influence the choices judges make. Specifically, I examine whether reappointment concerns on high courts lead to observable differences in voting outcomes. I test this theory of career-oriented judging with longitudinal data (2003 to 2010) from four European constitutional courts that vary in their appointment and retention processes. Ultimately, this study shows the influence of both career concerns and ideology on judicial decision-making and outcomes.