Blind Justice or Blind Ambition? The Influence of Promotion on Decision Making in the U.S. Courts of Appeals

Ambition is theorized to motivate many types of political behavior. However, as a motivation for federal judges, ambition has been largely ignored. Scholars have dismissed the possible influence of ambition by citing the low probability of receiving a promotion to a higher bench. Although a promotion is unlikely, judges may place substantial value on being promoted. Using a measure designed to capture a judge's promotion potential, I investigate the possibility that ambition exerts an independent effect on judicial behavior. The results demonstrate that court of appeals judges alter their behavior in a manner consistent with attempting to secure a seat on the United States Supreme Court.