Applied Social Networks James Fowler University of California, San Diego Who is the Best Connected Legislator in the U.S.

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Transcript Applied Social Networks James Fowler University of California, San Diego Who is the Best Connected Legislator in the U.S.

Applied
Social Networks
James Fowler
University of California, San Diego
Who is the Best Connected Legislator
in the U.S. Congress?


Who cares?
Social connections have an important effect on
political behavior and outcomes among voters



influencing the flow of political information
(Huckfeldt et al. 1995)
voter turnout behavior
(Fowler 2005; Highton 2000; Straits 1990)
vote choice (Beck et al. 2002)
Who is the Best Connected Legislator
in the U.S. Congress?

Social connections may also have an important
effect on legislators



well-connected legislators may be more influential
with their peers
better able to influence policy
Methodological challenge: observability


Social relationships are conducted in private
Based on partisan, ideological, institutional,
geographic, demographic, and personal affiliations.
Recent large scale social network
studies

Hyperlink network between political interest groups


Email networks


Ebel, Mielsch, and Bornholdt 2002
Scientific collaboration networks


Hindman, et al. 2003
Newman 2001
Network of committee assignments in the U.S. Congress

Porter et al. 2005
Here: the network of legislative
cosponsorships


A directional link can be drawn from each
cosponsor of a piece of legislation to its sponsor
These links provide a rich source of information
about the social network between legislators
Cosponsorship and
Social Connectedness

Large literature analyzes


which bills receive support
individual motivations to cosponsor



Mayhew 1974; Campbell 1982; Kessler and Krehbiel 1996; Koger 2003;
Wilson and Young 1997; Panning 1982; Pellegrini and Grant 1999; Talbert
and Potoski 2002
No literature considering which legislators receive support
Yet several argue that bill sponsorship is a form of leadership

Caldeira, Clark, and Patterson 1993; Hall 1992; Kessler and Krehbiel
1996; Krehbiel 1995; Schiller 1995
Cosponsorship and Social
Connectedness

Some argue that cosponsorships = “cheap talk”


Kessler and Krehbiel 1996; Wilson and Young 1997
However, there may be substantial search cost involved in deciding
which bills to cosponsor



From 1973-2004 the average House member cosponsored only 3.4% of all
proposed bills and the average Senator only cosponsored 2.4%
Legislators expend considerable effort recruiting cosponsors and talking
about them on the floor and with constituents (Campbell 1982)
Oddly, only one published study of Cosponsorship networks

Faust and Skvoretz (2002) interspecies comparison finds that Senate
cosponsorship network most resembles the network of mutual licking
between cows!
Cosponsorship Data




280,000 “bills” proposed in the U.S. House and
Senate from 1973 to 2004 (93rd-108th
Congresses) recorded in Thomas
over 2.1 million cosponsorship signatures
partitioned by chamber and Congress to create
32 separate cosponsorship networks
http://jhfowler.ucsd.edu/cosponsor.htm
Cosponsorship in the House
Congress
House
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th
98th
99th
100th
101st
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
Years
1973-1974
1975-1976
1977-1978
1979-1980
1981-1982
1983-1984
1985-1986
1987-1988
1989-1990
1991-1992
1993-1994
1995-1996
1997-1998
1999-2000
2001-2002
2003-2004
Mean
Mean
ÒBillsÓ
ÒBillsÓ
SponsoredCosponsored Mean Cosponsors
per
Total Total by Each by Each Cosponsors
Mean
SponsorsÒBillsÓLegislator Legislator per ÒBillÓ Legislator Distance
442
439
437
436
435
435
432
436
438
436
437
433
439
437
441
438
20994
19275
18578
10478
10062
9095
8606
8093
8423
8551
7464
6558
6780
7894
7541
7636
48
44
42
24
23
21
20
18
19
19
17
15
15
18
17
17
129
151
170
187
223
297
329
341
370
339
259
168
219
278
273
276
3
3
4
8
10
14
17
18
19
17
15
11
14
15
16
16
70
79
93
111
132
157
171
174
184
172
144
105
127
151
143
147
1.95
1.89
1.83
1.76
1.72
1.65
1.61
1.60
1.58
1.61
1.67
1.77
1.73
1.67
1.68
1.67
Cosponsorship in the Senate
Congress
Senate
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th
98th
99th
100th
101st
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
Years
1973-1974
1975-1976
1977-1978
1979-1980
1981-1982
1983-1984
1985-1986
1987-1988
1989-1990
1991-1992
1993-1994
1995-1996
1997-1998
1999-2000
2001-2002
2003-2004
Mean
Mean
ÒBillsÓ
ÒBillsÓ
SponsoredCosponsored Mean Cosponsors
per
Total Total by Each by Each Cosponsors
Mean
SponsorsÒBillsÓLegislator Legislator per ÒBillÓ Legislator Distance
101
100
102
99
101
101
101
101
100
101
101
102
100
102
101
100
5123
4913
4722
4188
9674
11228
7596
7782
7370
7686
5824
8101
7001
8265
8745
7804
51
49
45
41
96
111
75
77
74
75
58
79
70
81
87
78
153
137
121
135
219
294
324
361
376
335
232
176
212
290
261
285
3
3
3
3
2
3
4
5
5
4
4
2
3
4
3
4
54
52
49
54
68
77
75
83
82
79
70
59
67
76
71
72
1.46
1.48
1.51
1.46
1.31
1.24
1.24
1.17
1.17
1.21
1.30
1.41
1.33
1.24
1.30
1.27
Mutual Cosponsorship Relations
Congress
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th
98th
99th
100th
101st
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
Any Bill
House
Senate
0.17
0.23
0.17
0.25
0.17
0.21
0.12
0.12
0.14
0.17
0.15
0.16
0.14
0.19
0.18
0.18
0.15
0.17
0.15
0.26
0.17
0.19
0.16
0.20
0.16
0.19
0.16
0.17
0.17
0.17
0.18
0.18
Total Number of Bills
House
Senate
0.23
0.39
0.20
0.34
0.19
0.33
0.15
0.26
0.22
0.27
0.23
0.36
0.21
0.34
0.25
0.39
0.24
0.39
0.14
0.30
0.23
0.34
0.21
0.29
0.24
0.36
0.25
0.37
0.29
0.47
0.34
0.43
Connectedness: An Alternative Measure


Traditional measures of centrality generate plausible names
None takes advantage of information about the strength of social
relationships

Total number of cosponsors on each bill





Total number of bills sponsored by j and cosponsored by i


Legislators recruit first those legislators to whom they are most closely connected.
More cosponsors = lower probability of direct connection
Bills with fewer total cosponsors more reliable
Strength of the connection between i and j = 1/cij
More bills in common = stronger relationship
Weighted cosponsorship distance
wij   aij c
Weighted cosponsorship distance
Legislative connectedness


Suppose direct distance from legislator j to legislator i is simple
inverse of the cosponsorship weight
Then use Dijkstra’s algorithm (Cormen et al. 2001)



Starting with legislator j, identify from a list of all other legislators the
closest legislator i
Replace each of the distances with min dkj , dki  dij
Remove legislator i from the list and repeat until there are no more
legislators on the list. Connectedness is the inverse of the average of
these distances from all other legislators to legislator j.


Results for the House
Congress
House
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th
98th
99th
100th
101st
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
Best Connected Legislator
0.44 K och, Edward[D-NY-18]
0.57 P epper, Claude [D-FL-14]
0.60 P epper, Claude [D-FL-14]
0.31 P epper, Claude [D-FL-14]
0.27 Montgomery, G. [D-MS-3]
0.27 Roe, Robert A. [D-NJ-8]
0.26 Breaux, John [D-LA-7]
0.25 W axman, H enry A. [D-CA-29]
0.28 Stark, Fortney Pete [D-CA-9]
0.27 Fawell, H arris W. [R-IL-13]
0.22 W axman, H enry A. [D-CA-29]
0.24 Traficant, James [D-OH-17]
0.22 Gilman, Benjamin [R-NY- 20]
0.28 McCollum, Bill [R-FL-8]
0.24 Y oung, Don [R-AK]
0.28 Saxton, Jim [R-NJ-3]
Strongest Sponsor/ CosponsorRelation
Relationsh ip
69
72
51
58
29
30
16
57
23
14
8
7
7
10
11
14
Commerce Chair, RankingMember
Armed Services Chair, Ranking Member
Armed Services Chair, Ranking Member
Armed Services Chair, Ranking Member
Armed Services Chair, Ranking Member
Armed Services Chair, Ranking Member
Veterans Affairs Chair, Ranking Member
Veterans Affairs Chair, Ranking Member
ContiguousDistricts
Courts and Intellectual P roperty Chair , Ranking Member
Courts and Intellectual P roperty Chair , Ranking Member
Courts and Intellectual P roperty Chair , Ranking Member
ContiguousDistricts
Transportation Chair, Ranking Member
(Nearly) ContiguousDistricts, Repub. Study Committee
House Administration Chair, Ranking
Staggers, H arley [D-W V-2] / D evine, Samu el [R-OH-12]
P rice, Melvin [D-IL-21] / Wilson, Robert [R-CA-41]
P rice, Melvin [D-IL-21] / Wilson, Robert [R-CA-41]
P rice, Melvin [D-IL-21] / Wilson, Robert [R-CA-41]
P rice, Melvin [D-IL-21] / Dickinson, William [R-AL-2]
P rice, Melvin [D-IL-21] / Dickinson, William [R-AL-2]
Montgomery, G. [D-MS-3] / Hammerschmidt, J. [R-AR-3]
Montgomery, G. [D-MS-3] / Solomon, Gerald [R-NY-24]
Schulze, Richard T. [R-P A-5] / Yatron,Gus [D-P A-6]
H ughes, William [D-NJ-2] / Moorhead, Carlos [R-CA-22]
H ughes, William [D-NJ-2] / Moorhead, Carlos [R-CA-27]
Moorhead, Carlos [R-CA-27] / Schroeder, Pat [D-CO-1]
Ensign, John E. [R-NV-1] / Gibbons,Jim [R-NV-2]
Shuster, Bud [R-P A-9] / O berstar, James L. [D-MN-8]
DeMint, Jim [R-SC-4] / Myrick, Sue [R-NC-9]
N ey, Robert W. [R-OH-18] / Larson, John B. [D-CT-1]
Results for the Senate
Congress
Senate
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th
98th
99th
100th
101st
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
Best Connected Legislator
0.94 Jackson,Henry [D-W A]
1.12 Moss, Frank [D-UT]
0.90 D ole, Robert J. [R-KS]
0.84 D ole, Robert J. [R-KS]
0.91 Heinz, H enry [R-P A]
1.28 Hatch, O rrin G. [R-UT]
1.37 Thurmond, Strom [R-SC]
1.46 Cranston, Alan [D-CA]
1.39 K ennedy, Edward M. [D-MA]
1.23 Mitchell, George J. [D-ME]
1.20 Mitchell, George J. [D-ME]
1.58 D ole, Robert J. [R-KS]
1.36 McCain, John [R-AZ]
1.36 Hatch, O rrin G. [R-UT]
1.61 Feingold, Russell D. [D-W I]
1.43 McCain, John [R-AZ]
Strongest Sponsor/ CosponsorRelation
65 Magnuson,Warren [D-W A] / Cotton, Norris [R-NH]
139 Jackson,Henry [D-W A] / Fannin, P aul [R-AZ]
33 Inouye,Daniel [D-HI] / Matsunaga, Spark [D-HI]
24 Byrd, Robert [D-W V] / Baker, Howard [R-TN]
34 Inouye,Daniel [D-HI] / Matsunaga, Spark [D-HI]
63 Baker, H oward [R-TN] / Byrd, Robert [D-W V]
109 Cranston, Alan [D-CA] / W ilson,Pete [R-CA]
70 Byrd, Robert [D-W V] / D ole, Robert J. [R-KS]
77 Mitchell, George J. [D-ME] / Dole, Robert J. [R-KS]
179 Mitchell, George J. [D-ME] / Sasser, Jim [D-TN]
59 Mitchell, George J. [D-ME] / Dole, Robert J. [R-KS]
38 D ole, Robert J. [R-KS] / Daschle, Thomas A. [D-SD]
40 Lott, Trent [R-MS] / Daschle, Thomas A. [D-SD]
104 H utchison, K ay Bailey [R-TX] / Brownback, Sam [R-KS]
53 McCain, John [R-AZ] / Gramm, Phil [R-TX]
50 Frist, Bill [R-TN] / Daschle, Thomas A . [D-SD]
Relationsh ip
Commerce Chair, RankingMember
Interiorand Insular Affairs Chair, RankingMember
Same State
Majority, Minority Leader
Same State
Majority, Minority Leader
Same State
Majority, Minority Leader
Majority, Minority Leader
Federal Housing Reform
Majority, Minority Leader
Majority, Minority Leader
Majority, Minority Leader
Marriage Penalty Relief and Bankruptcy Reform
P ersonal
Majority, Minority Leader
Quality of Strongest Weighted Relationships

Institutional Ties



Regional Ties



From the same state
In the House they are often from contiguous districts
Issue Ties




House committee chairs and ranking members
Senate majority and minority leaders
Rep. Jim DeMint and Sue Myrick -- Republican Study Committee
Sen. George Mitchell and Jim Sasser -- Federal Housing Reform
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Sam Brownback -- marriage penalty relief and
bankruptcy reform
Personal Ties


Senator John McCain chaired Senator Phil Gramm’s 1996 Presidential campaign
McCain has told the media that they have been friends since 1982 when they
served together in the House (McGrory 1995)
108th House Top 20
108th Senate Top 20
External Validity: Legislative Influence

Widely used measure of legislative influence is
number of successful floor amendments


Hall 1992; Sinclair 1989; Smith 1989; Weingast
1991
1 SD increase in connectedness increases
successful floor amendments


53% in House
65% in Senate
External Validity: Roll Call Votes


Model roll call votes as in Poole and Rosenthal,
adding connectedness score of sponsor
1 SD increase in connectedness of sponsor
increases votes for bill by



5.2 in House
8.2 in Senate
2 SD increase would change 16% of House
votes and 20% of Senate votes
Landmark Legislation:
An Alternative to Mayhew
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Polarization in the 108th Senate
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108th House by Party
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108th House by Ideology
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108th House by State
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108th House by Committee
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Polarization Over Time in the House
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Polarization Over Time in the Senate
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Black Legislators in the 103rd House
Black Legislators in the 104th House
Black Legislators in the 108th House
Poor Districts in the 108th House
The Quantitative Judicial Literature

Has focused on ideology of decisions and
judges
George and Epstein 1992; Segal 1985

“continues to present an underdeveloped
theoretical and empirical understanding of why
and when law changes”
Hansford and Spriggs 2006

What if we could quantify the strength of a
precedent’s importance?
Questions We Might Answer






How has the norm of stare decisis evolved over time?
Does the Court consider the importance of a case when
it decides whether or not to reverse it?
Do reversed cases decline in importance once they are
reversed?
When the Court must reverse an important case, does it
ground the reversing decision in important precedents?
Which issues and cases does the Court prioritize?
How do these priorities change over time?
Quantifying Precedent

Each judicial citation is a latent judgment about
the cases cited (and not cited)


When justices write opinions, they spend time
researching the law and selecting precedents to
support their arguments
We can utilize the quantity and quality of
judicial citations to measure the importance of a
precedent
Past Attempts to Quantify Precedent



Measurements of the prestige of judges
(Kosma 1998; Landes, Lessig, and Solimine
1998)
Citation behavior of appellate courts
(Caldeira 1985; Harris 1985)
Role of legal rules in specific issue domain
(Landes and Posner 1976; McGuire 2001;
Ulmer 1970)
Past Attempts to Quantify Precedent



Large scale network analysis
(Chandler 2005; Smith 2005)
Legal vitality
(Hansford and Spriggs 2006)
None consider


quality of citations
dynamics of legal change
Data Collection


Generate List of Supreme Court “Decisions”
Shepard’s citations to Supreme Court decisions from







Other Supreme Court decisions
Appellate courts
District courts
State courts
Law journals
Other secondary sources
Majority, concurring, dissenting opinions
Data Collection

Shepard’s data includes types of citations



String cite or treatment
Positive or negative
Will (eventually) help distinguish between


Salience (string-cite network)
Authority (treatment network)
Types of Citations

A cited case may be




Regardless of content, each citation is a latent
judgment about which cases are most important


an important ruling
salient to the citing case
a reversed opinion
an overruled case like Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) is probably
more important than an overruled case like Crain v. United
States (1896)
Thus, we include all judicial citations in our analysis
Extended Network of Abortion Decisions
Mean Inward & Outward Citations by Year
Citations and Stare Decisis

Prior to 19th century, both inward and outward citations rare


Outward citations slowly rise in the 19th century



norm takes hold
number of previous cases that could potentially be cited increases
Inward citations also rise


during this period there was no “firm doctrine of stare decisis”
(Kempin 1959, 50)
justices begin writing more broadly applicable legal rules
Inward citations fall in recent years
Citations and Stare Decisis

Goodhart (1930) argues that by 1900, the doctrine of
stare decisis was in full effect

Inward and outward citations continued to rise in the
20th century

To what extent does this rise signify a further
strengthening of the norm?

How many cases cite at least one other case?
40
60
80
stare decisis
in full effect
20
Warren
Court
0
Cases With At Least
One Outward Citation (%)
100
Percentage of Cases with At Least One
Outward Citation by Year
1750
1800
1850
1900
Year
1950
2000
Stare Decisis and the Warren Court

Warren Court (1953-1969) departs from stare decisis



Consistent with argument Warren Court was “activist”



Sharp decrease in outward citiations
Sharp decrease in cases that do not cite any precedents
overruled more precedents than any other Court
(Brenner and Spaeth 1995)
revolutionized Constitutional law
(Horwitz 1998; Powe 2000; Schwartz 1996)
Warren Court also experiences sharp drop in inward citations

Surprising, given Burger (1969-1986) and Rehnquist (1986-2005) Courts
cases contain highest outward citations in history
Possible Explanations

Weak legal basis of Warren Court precedents



“Warren Court decisions did not articulate specific doctrinal
analyses, and therefore did not provide firm guidance for
future Courts” (Strossen 1996, 72).
Subsequent Courts would have trouble following Warren
Court’s “many ambiguities, loopholes, and loosely
formulated rules” (Emerson 1980, 440).
Justices as policy oriented actors


More conservative Burger and Rehnquist Courts unable to
justify policy choices with liberal Warren Court precedents
Forced to cite their own or pre-Warren precedents
Which Precedents Are Most Important?

Expert opinions identify “landmark” cases in the
Supreme Court’s history


Congressional Quarterly’s Guide to the United States
Supreme Court (1997) – 2,500 cases
Oxford Guide to Supreme Court Decisions (1999) – 440
cases

Represents small fraction of 28,951 majority opinions
that have been written by the Court

Why rely on third parties when the citation network
contains the evaluations of the justices themselves?
Importance in Selected
Landmark Abortion Decisions Network
AUHTORITY
HUB
Importance Ranks of Selected
Landmark Abortion Decisions
Outward Citations
Inward Importance % Rank
Outward Importance % Rank
Inward Citations
Outward Citations
4
0
1.00 0.03
72
0
.997
1.0
90
88
Akron v. Akron Center for
Reproductive Health,
462 U.S. 416 (1983)
0.80 0.40
3
1
0.89 0.96
9
15
0.941
0.986
22
28
0.60
2
2
0.75 0.81
3
10
0.845
0.986
7
52
Webster v. Reproductive Health
Services,
492 U.S. 490 (1989)
0.40 0.80
1
3
0.68 0.97
3
16
0.911
0.985
7
63
Planned Parenthood of
Southeastern Pennsylvania v.
Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
0.20 1.00
0
4
0.67 1.00
6
21
0.957
0.997
18
89
Thornburgh v. American
College, 476 U.S. 747 (1986)
0.60
Inward Importance % Rank
1.00 0.20
Inward Importance % Rank
Decision
Roe v. Wade,
410 U.S. 113 (1973)
Inward Citations
Complete Network
Outward Citations
Outward Importance % Rank
72 Case Network
Inward Citations
Outward Importance % Rank
5 Case Network
Checking the Results

Akron has fewer outward citations than
Webster, but higher outward importance


Means Akron cites cases that are more important
Portion of cited cases considered important by
Oxford Guide or CQ


82% (23/28) of Akron’s
67% (35/52) of Webster’s
Top 20 Inward Important Cases in 2005
Case
Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940)
Schneider v. State (Town of Irvington) (1930)
New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)
Thornhill v. Alabama (1940)
NAACP v. Button (1963)
NAACP v. Alabama
Lovell v. City of Griffin (1938)
Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942)
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Shelton v. Tucker (1960)
Stromberg v. California (1931)
Roth v. U.S. (1957)
Near v. Minnesota (1931)
Speiser v. Randall (1958)
Thomas v. Collins (1945)
Hague v. Committee for Industrial Org. (1951)
Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925)
DeJonge v. Oregon (1937)
Whitney v. California (1927)
Inward Importance Score
(Percentile Rank)
0.1983 (1.000000)
0.1648 (.9999654)
0.1567 (.9999309)
0.1475 (.9998963)
0.1473 (.9998618)
0.1415 (.9998273)
0.1348 (.9997928)
0.1158 (.9997582)
0.1130 (.9997237)
0.1064 (.9996891)
0.1047 (.9996546)
0.1046 (.9996200)
0.1038 (.9995855)
0.1030 (.9995509)
0.1022 (.9995164)
0.1015 (.9994819)
0.1012 (.9994473)
0.1007 (.9994128)
0.0936 (.9993783)
0.0892 (.9993437)
Top 20 Outward Important Cases in 2005
Case
First National Bank v. Bellotti (1978)
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
Dennis v. U.S. (1951)
Young v. American Mini Theatres Inc. (1976)
Grayned v. City of Rockford (1972)
Kovacs v. Cooper (1949)
Gibson v. FL Legislative Investigation Committee (1963)
Communist Party of U.S. v. Subversive Activities Control Board (1961)
Members of City Council of L.A. v. Taxpayers for Vincent (1984)
VA State Board of Pharmacy v. VA Citizens Consumer Council (1976)
Roe v. Wade (1973)
American Communications Assn. v. Douds (1950)
Richmond Newspapers Inc. v. VA (1980)
Consol. Edison Co. of NY v. Public Service Commission of NY (1980)
NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co. (1982)
New York v. Ferber (1982)
Metromedia v. City of San Diego (1981)
New York Times. V. Sullivan (1964)
R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul (1992)
Outward Importance
Score (Percentile Rank)
0.1291 (1.000000)
0.1159 (.9999654)
0.1157 (.9999309)
0.1079 (.9998963)
0.1073 (.9998618)
0.1007 (.9998273)
0.0899 (.9997928)
0.0936 (.9997582)
0.0932 (.9997237)
0.0920 (.9996891)
0.0917 (.9996546)
0.0893 (.9996200)
0.0888 (.9995855)
0.0861 (.9995509)
0.0855 (.9995164)
0.0848 (.9994819)
0.0837 (.9994473)
0.0814 (.9994128)
0.0796 (.9993783)
0.0786 (.9993437)
Speiser v. Randall (1958)




Considered by ACLU one of the 100 most important
Supreme Court decisions
Excluded from 1979 first edition of Congressional
Quarterly’s Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court
Partitioning network to 1979 puts Speiser in top 20
It has taken judicial specialists 18 years with the
publication of the 1997 third edition of the Guide, to
recognize the significance of Speiser
Validity

How well do importance measures measure
importance?



Important cases should be cited more often than
other cases
Regress count of citations to each case by year
on importance measures (negative binomial)
Include lagged dependent variable, age
variables, and adjust for clustering
Relationship Between Importance Measures and Future
Citations of U.S. Supreme Court Precedent by the U.S.
Supreme Court, 1792-2005
Inward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Outward
Eigenvector
Centrality
New York
Times
Amici
Briefs
CQ
List
Oxford
List
3.32
(0.03)
2.76
0.065 0.041
(0.04) (0.001) (0.001)
2.06
(0.03)
2.22
(0.04)
0.61
(0.03)
0.16
(0.01)
1.30
(0.03)
1.75
(0.05)
0.36
(0.01)
0.55
(0.01)
0.44
(0.01)
0.63
(0.01)
0.74
(0.01)
0.68
(0.01)
0.43
(0.01)
0.46
(0.01)
0.68
(0.01)
0.73
(0.01)
-0.84
(0.01)
-0.41
(0.01)
-0.47
(0.01)
-0.32
(0.01)
-0.43
(0.01)
-0.24
(0.01)
-0.08
(0.01)
-0.07
(0.01)
-0.32
(0.01)
-0.31
(0.01)
Age
-0.004 -0.009 -0.022 -0.014
(0.001) (0.001) (0.001) (0.001)
-0.023
(0.001)
-0.007
(0.001)
-0.039 -0.040 -0.016 -0.018
(0.002) (0.002) (0.001) (0.001)
Constant
-1.84
(0.01)
-2.81
(0.03)
-0.86
(0.01)
-1.44
(0.02)
-1.47
(0.01)
-3.03
(0.04)
-0.72
(0.02)
-0.70
(0.02)
-1.18
(0.01)
-1.11
(0.01)
Dispersion
1.48
(0.02)
1.47
(0.03)
1.78
(0.04)
1.90
(0.04)
2.18
(0.03)
1.81
(0.03)
1.34
(0.03)
1.42
(0.03)
1.92
(0.03)
2.08
(0.03)
Outward
Cites
Outward
Importance
Importance
Measure
Lagged Dep.
Variable
Ln(Age)
Inward
Cites
Importance
Measure:
Inward
Importance
Dependent Variable: Number of Times a U.S. Supreme Court Case is Cited by
the U.S. Supreme Court in the Following Year
-571443 -584038 -579838 -599022 -603595
Log PseudoLikelihood
Null Likelihood -710668 -710668 -710668 -710668 -710668
2485411 2485411 2485411 2485411
2485411
N
-600182
-128951 -129611 -600991 -606027
-710668
-142503 -142503 -707601 -708910
2485411
198884
198884 2482076 2483569
Relationship Between Importance Measures and Future
Citations of U.S. Supreme Court Precedent by U.S.
Courts of Appeals, 1792-2005
Inward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Outward
Eigenvector
Centrality
New York
Times
Amici
Briefs
CQ
List
Oxford
List
2.14
(0.03)
1.85
0.064 0.046
(0.03) (0.001) (0.001)
1.12
(0.03)
2.25
(0.04)
0.27
(0.02)
0.06
(0.01)
1.04
(0.03)
1.29
(0.05)
0.28
(0.01)
0.30
(0.01)
0.26
(0.01)
0.29
(0.01)
0.37
(0.01)
0.29
(0.01)
0.10
(0.00)
0.10
(0.00)
0.34
(0.01)
0.35
(0.01)
-0.45
(0.01)
-0.19
(0.01)
-0.26
(0.01)
-0.14
(0.01)
-0.17
(0.01)
-0.05
(0.01)
-0.05
(0.01)
-0.04
(0.01)
-0.11
(0.01)
-0.09
(0.01)
Age
-0.009 -0.011 -0.02 -0.014
(0.001) (0.001) (0.001) (0.001)
-0.019
(0.001)
-0.007
(0.001)
-0.023 -0.023 -0.016 -0.017
(0.001) (0.001) (0.001) (0.001)
Constant
-0.93
(0.02)
-1.63
(0.03)
-0.36
(0.02)
-0.92
(0.02)
-0.82
(0.02)
-2.50
(0.04)
0.92
(0.03)
0.94
(0.03)
-0.69
(0.02)
-0.65
(0.02)
Dispersion
2.49
(0.02)
2.53
(0.05)
2.43
(0.04)
2.59
(0.05)
2.97
(0.06)
2.45
(0.05)
1.12
(0.04)
1.13
(0.04)
2.75
(0.05)
2.87
(0.05)
-1455994 -1469643 -1449509 -1474305
-1495797
-1468278
-418495 -418922 -1476027 -1488338
-1829049 -1829049 -1829049 -1829049
-1829049
-1829049
-481819 -481819 -1809860 -1817550
2485411 2485411 2485411 2485411
2485411
2485411
198884
Log PseudoLikelihood
Null Likelihood
N
Outward
Cites
Outward
Importance
Importance
Measure
Lagged Dep.
Variable
Ln(Age)
Inward
Cites
Importance
Measure:
Inward
Importance
Dependent Variable: Number of Times a U.S. Supreme Court Case is Cited by
the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Following Year
198884 2482076 2483569
Relationship Between Importance Measures and Future
Citations of U.S. Supreme Court Precedent by State
Courts, 1792-2005
Inward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Outward
Eigenvector
Centrality
New York
Times
Amici
Briefs
CQ
List
Oxford
List
2.54
(0.03)
1.98
0.065 0.039
(0.05) (0.001) (0.001)
1.80
(0.03)
1.58
(0.04)
0.37
(0.03)
0.74
(0.01)
1.05
(0.03)
1.41
(0.06)
0.23
(0.01)
0.26
(0.01)
0.22
(0.01)
0.29
(0.01)
0.33
(0.01)
0.29
(0.01)
0.11
(0.00)
0.12
(0.00)
0.30
(0.01)
0.32
(0.01)
-0.42
(0.01)
-0.09
(0.01)
-0.17
(0.01)
-0.02
(0.01)
-0.14
(0.01)
0.04
(0.01)
-0.03
(0.01)
-0.03
(0.01)
-0.01
(0.01)
0.00
(0.01)
Age
-0.009 -0.011 -0.020 -0.015
(0.001) (0.001) (0.000) (0.001)
-0.022
(0.001)
-0.011
(0.001)
-0.019 -0.018 -0.017 -0.018
(0.001) (0.001) (0.000) (0.000)
Constant
-1.19
(0.01)
-1.92
(0.03)
-0.50
(0.02)
-1.07
(0.02)
-1.06
(0.02)
-2.12
(0.04)
0.46
(0.03)
0.48
(0.03)
-0.84
(0.02)
-0.79
(0.02)
Dispersion
2.09
(0.04)
2.28
(0.05)
2.21
(0.04)
2.54
(0.05)
2.68
(0.05)
2.55
(0.05)
1.66
(0.04)
1.68
(0.04)
2.62
(0.05)
2.71
(0.05)
-1521236 -1550635 -1533143 -1571520
-1571000
-1574734
-371327 -371981 -1571423 -1580042
-1931174 -1931174 -1931174 -1931174
-1931174
-1931174
-430155 -430155 -1918232 -1923021
2485411 2485411 2485411 2485411
2485411
2485411
198884
Log PseudoLikelihood
Null Likelihood
N
Outward
Cites
Outward
Importance
Importance
Measure
Lagged Dep.
Variable
Ln(Age)
Inward
Cites
Importance
Measure:
Inward
Importance
Dependent Variable: Number of Times a U.S. Supreme Court Case is Cited by
State Courts in the Following Year
198884 2482076 2483569
Comparison of Alternative Importance Measures for
Predicting Future Citations to U.S. Supreme Court
Precedent by the U.S. Supreme Court, 1792-2005
Effect Size: Percent Increase in Probability a U.S. Supreme Court Case is Cited by
the U.S. Supreme Court in the Following Year Given a One Standard Deviation
Change in the Importance Measure
New York
Times
Amici
Briefs
CQ
List
Oxford
List
Log Likelihood Ratio
N
Outward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Alternative Importance Measure
Inward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Outward Importance
Outward
Cites
Inward Importance
Inward
Cites
Alternative
Importance Measure:
73.8
(0.8)
35.7
(0.9)
33.1
(0.8)
23707
103.6
(0.5)
32.6
(1.6)
10.4
(0.5)
33953
101.0
(1.4)
46.1
(1.6)
4.1
(0.9)
37219
106.2
(1.3)
38.0
(1.9)
8.4
(1.1)
33887
56.9
(1.2)
60.0
(1.8)
9.5
(0.9)
5624
59.6
(1.2)
61.2
(1.9)
6.7
(0.9)
6191
97.6
(1.2)
39.2
(1.6)
12.0
(0.5)
39694
99.9
(1.1)
42.0
(1.4)
11.1
(0.5)
44041
2485411
2485411
2485411
2485411
198884
198884
2482076 2483569
Comparison of Alternative Importance Measures for
Predicting Future Citations to U.S. Supreme Court
Precedent by U.S. Appeals Courts, 1792-2005
Effect Size: Percent Increase in Probability a U.S. Supreme Court Case is Cited by
the U.S. Courts of Appeals in the Following Year Given a One Standard Deviation
Change in the Importance Measure
New York
Times
Amici
Briefs
CQ
List
Oxford
List
Log Likelihood Ratio
N
Outward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Alternative Importance Measure
Inward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Outward Importance
Outward
Cites
Inward Importance
Inward
Cites
Alternative
Importance Measure:
29.9
(1.0)
21.7
(1.0)
39.2
(1.2)
14023
58.2
(1.1)
10.9
(1.3)
21.7
(0.9)
29127
84.0
(1.3)
25.1
(1.1)
-23.3
(1.2)
48387
66.1
(1.1)
-5.5
(1.4)
62.6
(1.4)
27704
34.9
(1.6)
32.0
(1.9)
-1.1
(0.9)
8886
34.6
(1.5)
31.8
(1.9)
-0.7
(0.9)
9308
55.1
(1.0)
25.3
(1.1)
9.3
(0.5)
41662
56.9
(1.0)
27.0
(1.1)
7.0
(0.6)
47487
2485411
2485411
2485411
2485411
198884
198884
2482076 2483569
Comparison of Alternative Importance Measures for
Predicting Future Citations to U.S. Supreme Court
Precedent by the U.S. District Court, 1792-2005
Effect Size: Percent Increase in Probability a U.S. Supreme Court Case is Cited by
the State Courts in the Following Year Given a One Standard Deviation Change in
the Importance Measure
79.9
(1.2)
18.0
(1.5)
9.3
(0.6)
417027
83.7
(1.5)
25.6
(1.4)
-2.8
(1.3)
415492
80.9
(1.2)
24.2
(1.7)
2.3
(1.3)
415470
56.0
(1.9)
66.1
(2.9)
-1.0
(1.0)
74008
56.0
(1.9)
66.6
(2.9)
-2.6
(1.3)
74030
76.8
77.3
(1.1)
(1.1)
23.1
24.9
(1.4)
(1.3)
9.7
8.7
(0.6)
(0.7)
414892 415891
2485411
2485411
2485411
2485411
198884
198884
2482076 2483569
Oxford
List
Amici
Briefs
53.3
(1.1)
20.7
(1.2)
29.6
(0.9)
428613
CQ
List
New York
Times
Log Likelihood Ratio
N
Outward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Alternative Importance Measure
Inward
Eigenvector
Centrality
Outward Importance
Outward
Cites
Inward Importance
Inward
Cites
Alternative
Importance Measure:
The Dynamics of a Precedent’s Importance

Expert evaluations give us a static picture of the
present

Importance scores can give us a dynamic picture



Partition the network by terminal year
(1792-1800, 1792-1801, etc.)
Find importance scores for each partition
Permits observation of how importance of each
decision changes through time
Rise of Brown and Roe
Rise of Brown and Roe
Rise of Brown and Roe

Brown legally weak when first issued (Baum 1985; Epstein and
Walker 2004; Johnson and Cannon 1984; O’Brien 2003)



“the judiciary itself was ambivalent about the [Brown] policy… the
original Brown opinion [revealed] little judicial commitment to a
philosophy of racial equality” (Johnson and Cannon 1984)
barely more than 1% of schools desegregated by 1964
Roe was immediately effective, voiding laws in every state that
prohibited or limited abortion (Segal and Spaeth 1996)

181,140 abortions in the first three months after Roe—more than 8 times
the number in all of 1969 (Rosenberg 1991; Bond and Johnson 1982)
Changes in Court Priorities

Once important decisions decline substantially from their peaks
as legal rules settle beyond controversy


Bank of Augusta v. Earle (1839), Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), and
Minnesota Rate Cases (1913)
Changes in importance reflect (in part) changes in types of
issues Court chooses to address

“[F]or the first 150 years of its history, the Supreme Court exerted its
greatest influence on the states of the Union through its decisions on
matters of economic interest. In case after case—as the justices
construed the contract clause, the commerce clause, and defined the
state’s power of taxation—the Court determined the relationship of state
to federal power” (Biskupic and Witt 1997)
The Rise and Fall of Importance
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TIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Changing Importance of Commerce
and Civil Rights Issues
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are needed to see this picture.
Fifth Amendment Cases
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TIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Placement Scores vs. USNWR