When a Protective Order is Denied: Causal Evidence on the Role of Judge Gender

• In Event: Causal Inference in Public Management

Abstract

 The representative bureaucracy literature has established that the composition of the public workforce can positively affect decisions in public service delivery, especially when there is a demographic mirroring. But is that true in the case of judges and protective orders? Although I hypothesize that female judges are more likely to grant protective orders – particularly for cases of gender congruence – the findings from my sample point to the opposite. From 2010 to 2013, female judges in half of all courts of Indiana are 12% more likely to deny protective orders than male judges. These results are important for both literature and practice and help shine a light on a key process towards ending domestic violence. 

Author

• Marylis C Fantoni, Brigham Young University
  Presenting Author