This time, we’re reviewing the individual Justices’ rates of voting with the majority during the years 2010 to 2020 in order to discern which Justices might have been driving the small changes in the unanimity rate.

In Table 1512, we review the data for Chief Justice Ronald George and Justices Corrigan, Kennard, Kruger, Werdegar and Groban.  In 2010, Justices Corrigan and Werdegar were at 89.47% and both Chief Justice George and Justice Kennard were just over 95%.  In 2011, both Justices Corrigan and Kennard were over 93% and Justice Werdegar was with the majority in 100%.   Justice Kennard fell to 84.62% in 2012, but Justices Werdegar and Corrigan were both in the nineties.  In 2013, Justices Corrigan and Kennard were in the nineties and Justice Werdegar was back at 100%.  In 2014, Justice Kennard was with the majority in 100% of her final cases pre-retirement, Justice Corrigan was at 95.83%, but Justice Werdegar dropped to 78.26%.  In 2015, Justices Corrigan, Kruger and Werdegar were all well over 90%.  In 2016, all three dropped into the eighties.  In 2017, all three were once again in the nineties.  In 2018, both Justices Corrigan and Kruger had majority voting rates of 100%.  In 2019 and 2020, all three Justices were in the high nineties.

In Table 1513, we review the data for Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye and Justices Chin, Baxter, Cuellar, Moreno and Liu.  In 2010, Justices Chin and Baxter had majority voting rates of 95%.  Justice Moreno was at 90.48%.  For 2011, Justices Baxter, Moreno and Liu were all at 100%.  The Chief Justice and Justice Chin were in the mid-nineties.  In 2012, Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye and Justice Baxter had a majority voting record of 100%.  Justice Chin’s rate was 96% and Justice Liu was at 92.31%.  In 2013, the Chief Justice was once again at 100%.  Justice Liu was at 96.88%.  Justices Chin and Baxter were just below 90%.  In 2014, the Chief Justice was at 95.65%.  Justice Chin was with the majority in 91.3% of cases.  Justice Baxter voted with the majority in 90.91% of case and Justice Liu did in 86.96%.

In 2015, all five Justices – the Chief Justice and Justices Chin, Cuellar and Liu – were over 90%.  The same was true the following year for three of the four, excepting only Justice Chin at 88.57%.  All four Justices have voted with the majority in 90% or more of civil cases in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Join us back here next time as we address the data on the criminal side.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Bureau of Land Management (no changes).