Judicial subversion: The effects of political power on court outcomes

Guilherme Lambais and Henrik Sigstad

Journal of Public Economics, 2023, vol. 217, issue C

Abstract: Are politicians in power treated more leniently in court? We show that Brazilian mayoral candidates charged with misconduct are 65 percent less likely to be convicted if they narrowly win the election. Politicians play no direct role in the judges’ careers, suggesting that formal independence does not completely insulate the judiciary from political influence. The effect is driven by districts with few judges and by judges with higher career instability.

Keywords: Judicial independence; Official misconduct (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:217:y:2023:i:c:s0047272722001906

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104788

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