Alumni relationships can affect court rulings between judges and lawyers
New research in Economic Inquiry provides evidence of in-group bias operating within the judiciary—a setting where impartiality is expected.
A recent study in Economic Inquiry has found that alumni relationships between judges and lawyers may influence court rulings. In Florida medical malpractice cases, where judges were randomly assigned, the researchers discovered that if a plaintiff's attorney shared a law school with the presiding judge, their chances of receiving damages increased by around 2 percentage points.
This effect was not explained by factors such as school ranking, gender, or minority status, indicating that the bias is likely due to the shared alumni connection.
The study's lead author, Dr. David Zhang of Rice University, noted that the discovery raises questions about when ties between judges and lawyers should be disclosed or result in recusal. Dr. Tianwang Liu, a co-author and independent researcher, emphasized the importance of rigorous data collection and research design to uncover the nuances of decision-making in high-stakes cases.
The study, titled "Alumni Relationships and Judicial Bias," was published in Economic Inquiry in 2026 and is available at DOI: 10.1111/ecin.70080.
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