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About

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The Supreme Court Database is the definitive source for researchers, students, journalists, and citizens interested in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Database contains over two hundred pieces of information about each case decided by the Court between the 1791 and 2022 terms. Examples include the identity of the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed, the parties to the suit, the legal provisions considered in the case, and the votes of the Justices.

Justice Centered data includes a set of justice votes for each dispute, along with the case information. The unit of analysis is the vote. These data should be used if the votes of the justices are of interest.

Decision tree clssifier

Concept

Decision tree learning is a supervised learning approach used in statistics, data mining and machine learning. In this formalism, a classification or regression decision tree is used as a predictive model to draw conclusions about a set of observations. Tree models where the target variable can take a discrete set of values are called classification trees; in these tree structures, leaves represent class labels and branches represent conjunctions of features that lead to those class labels. Decision trees where the target variable can take continuous values (typically real numbers) are called regression trees. More generally, the concept of regression tree can be extended to any kind of object equipped with pairwise dissimilarities such as categorical sequences. Decision trees are among the most popular machine learning algorithms given their intelligibility and simplicity. In decision analysis, a decision tree can be used to visually and explicitly represent decisions and decision making. In data mining, a decision tree describes data (but the resulting classification tree can be an input for decision making).

Variables used in this model

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
SCDB Vote ID n/a n/a

This is the fourth of four unique internal identification numbers.

The first four digits are the term. The next four are the case within the term (starting at 001 and counting up). The next two are the number of dockets consolidated under the U.S. Reports citation (starting at 01 and counting up). The next two are the number of issues and legal provisions within the case (starting at 01 and counting up). The next two indicate a split vote within an issue or legal provision (01 for only one vote; 02 if a split vote). The final two represent the vote in the case (usually runs 01 to 09, but fewer if less than all justices participated).

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Issue Area VALUE 14 values

This variable simply separates the issues identified in the preceding variable (issue) into the following larger categories: criminal procedure (issues 10010-10600), civil rights (issues 20010-20410), First Amendment (issues 30010-30020), due process (issues 40010-40070), privacy (issues 50010-50040), attorneys' or governmental officials' fees or compensation (issues 60010-60040), unions (issues 70010-70210), economic activity (issues 80010-80350), judicial power (issues 90010-90520), federalism (issues 100010-100130), interstate relation (issues 110010-110030), federal taxation (issues 120010-120040), miscellaneous (issues 130010-130020), and private law (issues 140010-140080).

The contents of these issue areas are both over- and under-specfied; especially those of largest size: criminal procedure, civil rights,and economic ativity. In the interests of precision, users focusing on this variable would be wise to specify the components of a specific issue area that their analyses include or exclude.

Note that some of the issues in an issue area will have a distinctive direction at variance from the issue area's overal direction. E.g., the liability variables 80060, 80070, and 80080. See decision direction.

Values:
  1. Criminal Procedure
  2. Civil Rights
  3. First Amendment
  4. Due Process
  5. Privacy
  6. Attorneys
  7. Unions
  8. Economic Activity
  9. Judicial Power
  10. Federalism
  11. Interstate Relations
  12. Federal Taxation
  13. Miscellaneous
  14. Private Action

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Issue Area VALUE 64 values

This variable identifies the state if the state or any one of the below is the petitioner. The exceptions are courts, judicial districts, or judges. If they are federal courts or federal judges, the "state" is always the United States. The same holds for other federal employees or officials.

  • specified state board or department of education
  • city, town, township, village, or borough government or governmental unit
  • state commission, board, committee, or authority
  • county government or county governmental unit
  • state department or agency
  • court or judicial district
  • governmental employee or job applicant
  • female governmental employee or job applicant
  • minority governmental employee or job applicant
  • minority female governmental employee or job applicant
  • federal government corporation
  • retired or former governmental employee
  • U.S. House of Representatives interstate compact
  • judge
  • state legislature, house, or committee
  • local governmental unit other than a county, city, town, township, village, or borough
  • governmental official, or an official of an agency established under an interstate
  • compact
  • state or U.S. supreme court
  • local school district or board of education
  • U.S. Senate
  • U.S. senator
  • foreign nation or instrumentality
  • state or local governmental taxpayer, or executor of the estate of
  • state college or university
Values:
  1. Alabama
  2. Alaska
  3. American Samoa
  4. Arizona
  5. Arkansas
  6. California
  7. Colorado
  8. Connecticut
  9. Delaware
  10. District of Columbia
  11. Federated States of Micronesia
  12. Florida
  13. Georgia
  14. Guam
  15. Hawaii
  16. Idaho
  17. Illinois
  18. Indiana
  19. Iowa
  20. Kansas
  21. Kentucky
  22. Louisiana
  23. Maine
  24. Marshall Islands
  25. Maryland
  26. Massachusetts
  27. Michigan
  28. Minnesota
  29. Mississippi
  30. Missouri
  31. Montana
  32. Nebraska
  33. Nevada
  34. New Hampshire
  35. New Jersey
  36. New Mexico
  37. New York
  38. North Carolina
  39. North Dakota
  40. Northern Mariana Islands
  41. Ohio
  42. Oklahoma
  43. Oregon
  44. Palau
  45. Pennsylvania
  46. Puerto Rico
  47. Rhode Island
  48. South Carolina
  49. South Dakota
  50. Tennessee
  51. Texas
  52. Utah
  53. Vermont
  54. Virgin Islands
  55. Virginia
  56. Washington
  57. West Virginia
  58. Wisconsin
  59. Wyoming
  60. United States
  61. Interstate Compact
  62. Philippines
  63. Indian
  64. Dakota

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Respondent State PARTY_2 64 values

This variable identifies the state if the state or any one of the following is the respondent:

  • specified state board or department of education
  • city, town, township, village, or borough government or governmental unit
  • state commission, board, committee, or authority
  • county government or county governmental unit
  • state department or agency
  • court or judicial district
  • governmental employee or job applicant
  • female governmental employee or job applicant
  • minority governmental employee or job applicant
  • minority female governmental employee or job applicant
  • retired or former governmental employee
  • judge
  • state legislature, house, or committee
  • local governmental unit other than a county, city, town, township, village, or borough
  • governmental official, or an official of an agency established under an interstate
  • compact
  • state or U.S. supreme court
  • local school district or board of education
  • state or local governmental taxpayer, or executor of the estate of
  • state college or university
Values:
  1. Alabama
  2. Alaska
  3. American Samoa
  4. Arizona
  5. Arkansas
  6. California
  7. Colorado
  8. Connecticut
  9. Delaware
  10. District of Columbia
  11. Federated States of Micronesia
  12. Florida
  13. Georgia
  14. Guam
  15. Hawaii
  16. Idaho
  17. Illinois
  18. Indiana
  19. Iowa
  20. Kansas
  21. Kentucky
  22. Louisiana
  23. Maine
  24. Marshall Islands
  25. Maryland
  26. Massachusetts
  27. Michigan
  28. Minnesota
  29. Mississippi
  30. Missouri
  31. Montana
  32. Nebraska
  33. Nevada
  34. New Hampshire
  35. New Jersey
  36. New Mexico
  37. New York
  38. North Carolina
  39. North Dakota
  40. Northern Mariana Islands
  41. Ohio
  42. Oklahoma
  43. Oregon
  44. Palau
  45. Pennsylvania
  46. Puerto Rico
  47. Rhode Island
  48. South Carolina
  49. South Dakota
  50. Tennessee
  51. Texas
  52. Utah
  53. Vermont
  54. Virgin Islands
  55. Virginia
  56. Washington
  57. West Virginia
  58. Wisconsin
  59. Wyoming
  60. United States
  61. Interstate Compact
  62. Philippines
  63. Indian
  64. Dakota

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Manner in which the Court takes Jurisdiction JUR 14 values

The Court uses a variety of means whereby it undertakes to consider cases that it has been petitioned to review. These are listed below. The most important ones are the writ of certiorari, the writ of appeal, and for legacy cases the writ of error, appeal, and certification.

A few notes are in order. First, there are handful of cases that fall into more than one category. Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803), for example, was an original jurisdiction and a mandamus case. We code these cases on the basis of the writ. So Marbury is a coded as mandamus, not original jurisdiction.

Second, some legacy cases are "original" motions or requests for the Court to take jurisdiction but were heard or filed in another court. See, for example, Ex parte Matthew Addy S.S. & Commerce Corp., 256 U.S. 417 (1921), asking the Court to issue a writ of mandamus to a federal judge. Again, we do not code these as "original" jurisdiction cases but rather on the basis of the writ.

Values:
  1. cert
  2. appeal
  3. bail
  4. certification
  5. docketing fee
  6. rehearing or restored to calendar for reargument
  7. injunction
  8. mandamus
  9. original
  10. prohibition
  11. stay
  12. writ of error
  13. writ of habeas corpus
  14. unspecified, other

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Origin of Case State ORIGIN 64 values

If the case originated in a state court, this variable identifies the state. For more details, see the variable caseOrigin.

Values:
  1. Alabama
  2. Alaska
  3. American Samoa
  4. Arizona
  5. Arkansas
  6. California
  7. Colorado
  8. Connecticut
  9. Delaware
  10. District of Columbia
  11. Federated States of Micronesia
  12. Florida
  13. Georgia
  14. Guam
  15. Hawaii
  16. Idaho
  17. Illinois
  18. Indiana
  19. Iowa
  20. Kansas
  21. Kentucky
  22. Louisiana
  23. Maine
  24. Marshall Islands
  25. Maryland
  26. Massachusetts
  27. Michigan
  28. Minnesota
  29. Mississippi
  30. Missouri
  31. Montana
  32. Nebraska
  33. Nevada
  34. New Hampshire
  35. New Jersey
  36. New Mexico
  37. New York
  38. North Carolina
  39. North Dakota
  40. Northern Mariana Islands
  41. Ohio
  42. Oklahoma
  43. Oregon
  44. Palau
  45. Pennsylvania
  46. Puerto Rico
  47. Rhode Island
  48. South Carolina
  49. South Dakota
  50. Tennessee
  51. Texas
  52. Utah
  53. Vermont
  54. Virgin Islands
  55. Virginia
  56. Washington
  57. West Virginia
  58. Wisconsin
  59. Wyoming
  60. United States
  61. Interstate Compact
  62. Philippines
  63. Indian
  64. Dakota

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Case Source State SOURCE 64 values

If the source of the case (i.e., the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed) is a state court, this variable identifies the state. See also Source of Case (caseSource).

Values:
  1. Alabama
  2. Alaska
  3. American Samoa
  4. Arizona
  5. Arkansas
  6. California
  7. Colorado
  8. Connecticut
  9. Delaware
  10. District of Columbia
  11. Federated States of Micronesia
  12. Florida
  13. Georgia
  14. Guam
  15. Hawaii
  16. Idaho
  17. Illinois
  18. Indiana
  19. Iowa
  20. Kansas
  21. Kentucky
  22. Louisiana
  23. Maine
  24. Marshall Islands
  25. Maryland
  26. Massachusetts
  27. Michigan
  28. Minnesota
  29. Mississippi
  30. Missouri
  31. Montana
  32. Nebraska
  33. Nevada
  34. New Hampshire
  35. New Jersey
  36. New Mexico
  37. New York
  38. North Carolina
  39. North Dakota
  40. Northern Mariana Islands
  41. Ohio
  42. Oklahoma
  43. Oregon
  44. Palau
  45. Pennsylvania
  46. Puerto Rico
  47. Rhode Island
  48. South Carolina
  49. South Dakota
  50. Tennessee
  51. Texas
  52. Utah
  53. Vermont
  54. Virgin Islands
  55. Virginia
  56. Washington
  57. West Virginia
  58. Wisconsin
  59. Wyoming
  60. United States
  61. Interstate Compact
  62. Philippines
  63. Indian
  64. Dakota

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Reason for Granting Cert CERT 13 values

This variable provides the reason, if any, that the Court gives for granting the petition for certiorari. If the case did not arise on certiorari, this variable will be so coded even if the Court provides a reason why it agreed to hear the case. The Court, however, rarely provides a reason for taking jurisdiction by writs other than certiorari.

Values:
  1. case did not arise on cert or cert not granted
  2. federal court conflict
  3. federal court conflict and to resolve important or significant question
  4. putative conflict
  5. conflict between federal court and state court
  6. state court conflict
  7. federal court confusion or uncertainty
  8. state court confusion or uncertainty
  9. federal court and state court confusion or uncertainty
  10. to resolve important or significant question
  11. to resolve question presented
  12. no reason given
  13. other reason

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Lower Court Disposition LODIS 12 values

This variable specifies the treatment the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed accorded the decision of the court it reviewed; e.g., whether the court below the Supreme Court---typically a federal court of appeals or a state supreme court---affirmed, reversed, remanded, etc. the decision of the court it reviewed---typically a trial court.

lcDisposition will not contain an entry if the decision the Supreme Court reviewed is that of a trial court or if the case arose under the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction (see the jurisdiction variable). The former occurs frequently in the legacy data.

The decision rules governing this information follow:

  1. We adhere to the language used in the "holding" in the summary of the case on the title page or prior to Part I of the Court's opinion. Exceptions to the literal language are the following:
  2. Where the Court overrules the lower court, we treat this a petition or motion granted.
  3. Where the court whose decision the Supreme Court is reviewing refuses to enforce or enjoins the decision of the court, tribunal, or agency which it reviewed, we treat this as reversed.
  4. Where the court whose decision the Supreme Court is reviewing enforces the decision of the court, tribunal, or agency which it reviewed, we treat this as affirmed.
  5. Where the court whose decision the Supreme Court is reviewing sets aside the decision of the court, tribunal, or agency which it reviewed, we treat this as vacated; if the decision is set aside and remanded, we treat it as vacated and remanded.
Values:
  1. stay, petition, or motion granted
  2. affirmed
  3. reversed
  4. reversed and remanded
  5. vacated and remanded
  6. affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
  7. affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
  8. vacated
  9. petition denied or appeal dismissed
  10. modify
  11. remand
  12. unusual disposition

Variable to predict in this model

Online Code Book Spaeth Name Normalizations
Decision Direction DIR 3 values

In order to determine whether the Court supports or opposes the issue to which the case pertains, this variable codes the ideological "direction" of the decision.

Specification of direction comports with conventional usage for the most part except for the interstate relations, private law, and the miscellaneous issues. "Unspecifiable" has been entered either because the issue does not lend itself to a liberal or conservative description (e.g., a boundary dispute between two states, real property, wills and estates), or because no convention exists as to which is the liberal side and which is the conservative side (e.g., the legislative veto). This variable will also contain "unspecifiable" where one state sues another under the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and where parties or issue cannot be determined because of a tied vote or lack of information.

Note especially that the direction (pro- or anti-liability)of the three liability variables (80060, 80070, and 80080) depend on the disposition the Court made of the case, and which party won or lost. For 80070 -- non-governmental liability - a liberal vote and case decision support the injured person, organiation, or thing (res). For 80060 - governmental liability - a vote and case outcome that supports government is invariably defined as liberal. Note that if the injured entity is the other party in the case, said party loses, by definition. On the other hand, of course, if the injured entity wins, then of necessity the government loses. Where liability is assigned to both plaintiff and respondent, direction is considered indetermnable.

For purposes of the governmental liability issue, government includes state and local governmental entities, foreign governments, and governmentally owned property. In the rare instance of a conflict between governmental body and an injured person, organiation, or thing the governmental outcome controls directionality. Most such conflicts, however, locate in other issues; e.g., attorneys' and governemtnal employees' compensation or fees, and military personnel and veterans.

It bears emphasizing that the entry for directionality is determined by reference to the issue variable. If you are using the Case Centered Dataset organized by split votes, it is entirely possible for a citation to relate to a second issue whose direction is opposite that of the first issue. For example, in Air Pollution Variance Board of the State of Colorado v. Western Alfalfa Corporation, 416 U.S. 861 (1974), the Court decided that the Fourth Amendment was not violated by a health inspector's warrantless entry onto the property of a business to inspect smoke pollution. The first issue (search and seizure) is coded conservative; the second issue (natural resources) is coded liberal.

Values:
  1. conervative
  2. liberal
  3. unspecified

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