Trial Court Reversals Track Party of Judges in Cases, Study Says

Federal appellate court panels are more likely to uphold rulings by trial court judges if they were appointed by presidents of the same political party, a new study found.

The study, published Wednesday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, concluded the political affiliations of the members of three-judge appeals court panels “have a significant impact” on whether the underlying trial court decision is reversed.

Following an analysis of precedential cases, the researchers found that appellate panels of judges appointed by Democratic presidents are more likely to reverse trial judges appointed by Republican presidents than those appointed by Democrats. Similarly, ...