The Two Faces of Judicial Power

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

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2. The Two Faces of Judicial Power

   • Benjamin G. Engst

   Pages 1-24

3. The Judicial-Policy-Dialogue Game

   • Benjamin G. Engst

   Pages 25-78

4. Judicial Power in Germany and the European Union

   • Benjamin G. Engst

   Pages 79-116

5. The First Face of Judicial Power

   • Benjamin G. Engst

   Pages 117-167

6. The Second Face of Judicial Power

   • Benjamin G. Engst

   Pages 169-192

7. Conclusion: Implications of Judicial Power

   • Benjamin G. Engst

   Pages 193-206

8. Back Matter

   Pages 207-245

   PDF

This book shows that constitutional courts exercise direct and indirect power on political branches through decision-making. The first face of judicial power is characterized by courts directing political actors to implement judicial decisions in specific ways. The second face leads political actors to anticipate judicial review and draft policies accordingly. The judicial–political interaction originating from both faces is herein formally modeled. A cross-European comparison of pre-conditions of judicial power shows that the German Federal Constitutional Court is a well-suited representative case for a quantitative assessment of judicial power. Multinomial logistic regressions show that the court uses directives when evasion of decisions is costly while accounting for the government’s ability to implement decisions. Causal analyses of the second face of judicial power show that bills exposed to legal signals are drafted accounting for the court. These findings re-shape our understanding of judicialization and shed light on a silent form of judicialization.

• Judicial Politics
• Separation of Powers
• Constitutional Court
• Supreme Court
• Law and Courts
• Empirical Jurisprudence
• Jurisprudence
• Judicial Decision-making
• Judicial Independence.
• Judicial Power
• Judicial-Legislative
• Judicial Directives
• Autolimitation
• Representative Democracy
• Government
• Legislation
• German Federal Constitutional Court
• Directives
• Judicial-Political
• Separation-of-Powers

"Buy this book! Not only will you learn about one of Europe's most influential courts; you'll also rethink what you know about courts more generally. That's because Engst has written a game changer. Theoretically, The Two Faces of Judicial Power pushes back on the idea that courts depend on outsiders to shape their power and instead argues that through their decisions, judges can exert direct and indirect influence on political actors. Empirically, the book is a breath of fresh air. In place of the usual measures of judicial choice is an innovative content analysis of judicial decisions---one that could be adapted to many different contexts."—Lee Epstein is Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis




"Recent decades have seen a rise in the power of courts, which has been followed by political tensions around judicial decisions and challenges against judicial independence. Scholars have invested a great deal of time and effort trying to understand the interactions between constitutional courts and legislatures, but few are able to match the theoretical rigor, empirical novelty and methodological sophistication of Benjamin Engst’s Two Faces of Judicial Power. The book constitutes a major advance in the field of judicial politics in Europe and beyond."

—Daniel Naurin is Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo





"This compelling study of constitutional review in Germany is a welcome addition to the literature. Engst reminds us that the influence courts have over public policy lies not only in their power to strike down laws but in the way that this power influences the shape of pending legislation. He offers a careful theoretical account as well as an innovative approach to revealing the second face of judicial power."

—Jeffrey K. Staton is Professor of Political Science at Emory University

• University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

  Benjamin G. Engst

Benjamin G. Engst is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Political Science at the University of Mannheim, Germany. He specializes in Comparative Political Institutions and Behavior and has a strong background in quantitative methods with a focus on Judicial Politics.

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