Analysis of the National Environmental Policy Act section 4332: A look at all Supreme Court and Circuit Court opinions and the most influential opinions from 1970 to 2006

Citation analysis was applied to determine the citation count weighted for court level and time of Supreme Court of Court of Appeals NEPA opinions. The opinions were ranked and the 50 most influential opinions were analyzed for seven characteristics. These characteristics included Court Level, Circuit, Date of Decision, NEPA Document, Federal Agency, Outcome, Other Statutes Litigated. The 50 most influential opinions were also compared to the seven characteristics of all Supreme Court and Court of Appeals opinions. This thesis also compares two different citation methods: one using four factors and another using one factor.;The analysis and information from this thesis will aid practitioners and scholars in future studies of NEPA. Citation analysis provides an objective method of evaluating the most influential opinions.;Key Words: citation analysis, judicial decision-making, National Environmental Policy Act, natural resource law...