Rationalizing the Quest for Justice in the U.S. District Courts

A review essay on a book by Wolf Heydebrand & Carroll Seron, Rationalizing Justice: The Political Economy of Federal District Courts (Albany: State U of New York Press, 1990 [see listing in IRPS No. 74]). Using quantitative, qualitative, & historical data, Heydebrand & Seron demonstrate how environmental forces generate civil & criminal litigation, how the volume & complexity of cases affect the organization of courts, & how caseload & organization, in turn, impinge on judicial decision making. Acknowledging this volume as one of the most extensive, systematic, & systemic critiques of the US federal trial court system published to data, questions are raised about the way in which the quantitative & qualitative analyses are joined & about the extent to which the conclusion -- ie, that a crisis in justice has emerged -- is supported by the evidence. In Rationalizing the Social Organization of Justice, Heydebrand (New York U, NY) & Seron briefly restate their central premise, evidence, findings, & conclusions. M. Maguire