Ideology and Judicial Decision-Making in Supreme Court Religion Cases

Author: Molly Kantor

Field of Study: Political Science

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Wendy Martinek

Easel: 58

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: This project examines why U.S. Supreme Court justices vote differently in cases involving freedom of religion claims. It contributes to the existing literature on judicial behavior by engaging with the attitudinal model, which argues that justices make decisions based on their personal ideologies and values. Ideological orientation is the strongest predictor of how justices vote in these cases. To test this, data from the Supreme Court Database is used along with Segal-Cover scores, which estimate judicial ideology based on the newspaper coverage before the justices confirmation. The findings suggest that more conservative justices are more likely to rule in favor of religious freedom claims. These results matter because they help explain decision-making in controversial cases, improve the ability to predict Court outcomes, and highlight how constitutional protections, particularly those related to religion, may be applied unevenly across cases.