A judge ruling under appellate pressure does the bare minimum to appear compliant.

Evidence

Conway thought differently. Hadn’t Skinner found against them in every instance but one? And in that one instance—misconduct in the failure to produce the Yankee report—wasn’t Skinner merely repeating what the appeals court had already said? No, insisted Conway, the judge hadn’t changed. “He’s done the absolute minimum he can do to save face.” — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action, 3102

Categorization

• SEED: Article angle: appellate review as ritual compliance — how a reversed judge reframes the mandated finding as his own discovery.