| As the highest court in the land, the U.S. Supreme Court is the final interpreter of federal law. Its interpretations can mean the difference between clean drinking water and pollution with impunity. An understanding of the factors that influence Supreme Court decision-making is therefore critical to environmental protection. While other fields of law have examined the impact of ideology on Supreme Court decision-making, its effect on environmental law adjudication remains unexplored. My investigation expanded the scope of existing lower court studies by examining how majority ideology affects the disposition of environmental cases in the Supreme Court. I hypothesized that a Supreme Court with a liberal majority was more likely than a conservative majority to rule in favor of environmental protection. Using a weighted least squares linear probability model and a probit model, I found that a liberal Court majority, a Democratic sitting President, and an anti-environmental protection lower court decision all increase the probability that the Supreme Court will issue a pro-environmental protection decision. By improving our understanding of Supreme Court decision making, my study offers insight on how to best advocate for environmental protection. |
