Ideology on Thin Ice? The Limits of Judicial Neutrality in Climate Litigation

Author: Sacha Bechara
Institution: University College London, Department of Politics and International Relations
Date: November 2024

Repository Contents

• dataset.csv - Final analysis dataset of climate litigation cases in US federal circuit courts
• analysis-script.pdf - Statistical analysis code and methodology
• web-scraping-script.pdf - Data collection and filtering procedures from the Sabin Center For Climate Change Litigation Database (US).

Data Description

This dataset contains coded outcomes from climate litigation cases in US federal circuit courts, including:

• Case identifiers and court information
• Judicial decision outcomes
• Judge characteristics and ideology measures
• Party information and case characteristics

Data Source

Initial case list from Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. Each case was manually coded. For information about coding protocols, refer to the manuscript's appendix at (https://sachabechara.neocities.org/climate)

Methodology

This research examines whether judicial ideology predicts case outcomes in climate litigation, accounting for judicial discretion and decision type (procedural vs. substantive). Analysis uses propensity score matching and regression techniques to assess ideological influence on judicial decision-making.

Citation

If you use this data, please cite:

Bechara, S. (2025). Ideology on Thin Ice? The Limits of Judicial Neutrality 
in Climate Litigation. University College London.

License

Data and code are released under CC-BY-4.0 license. You are free to use, share, and adapt with attribution.

Contact

sacha.bechara.23@ucl.ac.uk
GitHub: sachabechara
Lab: ESCLL