The Rehnquist Court and corrections law: an empirical assessment

The Rehnquist Court era (1986-2005) coincided with developments that increased the impact and importance of corrections law, including dramatically expanded prison populations. An empirical analysis of corrections law decisions by the Rehnquist Court illuminates trends in decision-making and the nature of intracourt consensus and conflict affecting the definitions of legal protections for convicted offenders. Unlike in other areas of law, constitutional cases in corrections law that divide the Court lead justices to vote consistently with their dominant patterns of judicial philosophies and values.