2026 Research Days
Binghamton Research Days Student Presentations

Variation in Outcomes of US Supreme Court Reproductive Rights Cases

Author: Lucy Black

Field of Study: Philosophy, Politics and Law

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Wendy Martinek

Easel: 89

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of political variables on Supreme Court decisions in reproductive rights cases. Despite abortion not being mentioned in the Constitution, dozens of Supreme Court cases have been decided on the matter, with varying outcomes. The purpose here is to explore why that is the case. Some scholars argue that Supreme Court decisions are based on the personal political ideologies of the justices while others argue that political institutions like Congress have the greatest influence on Supreme Court decisions. To evaluate these competing theories, this study examines the effect of a key congressional actor (the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee) and the aggregated preferences of the justices on Court outcomes in reproductive rights cases. The expectation is that both the preferences of the Senate Judiciary Committee chair and the justices will have a meaningful effect on Court outcomes in reproductive rights cases.