Judicial decisions are governed by beliefs about facts and rules

Evidence

Value judgments inhere throughout; it is not a mechanical process. Values do not form in a vacuum; their range depends always on factual limitations. Thus, judges’ decisions are governed by their beliefs about facts as well as abstract rules; the act of deciding involves both the determination of material facts and the determination of what rules are to be applied to the facts. — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 160

Categorization

• XREF: XREF connects to legal realism and judicial discretion. — connects to: Judges rely on personal values when competing legal principles are evenly balanced — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 156; Common law legitimacy derives from published judicial opinions and public reasoning. — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 115; Directed verdicts require courts to decide if facts permit reasonable inferences — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 221 (+25 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 160

Library Connections

• A judge’s self-interest in avoiding admitted error shapes legal rulings #complicates (0.75) — Jonathan Harr, A Civil Action, 2732

Broader Connections

• Judging requires selecting relevant facts and evaluating relative values #expands (0.85) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 165
• Directed verdicts require courts to decide if facts permit reasonable inferences #exemplifies (0.80) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 221
• A judicial precedent attaches specific legal consequences to detailed case facts. #exemplifies (0.75) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 131
• Sound legal arguments require both valid reasoning and true premises #corroborates (0.70) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 250
• Permissible jury inferences require a logical probability connecting basic facts to ultimate facts #exemplifies (0.65) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 217
• Common law legitimacy derives from published judicial opinions and public reasoning. #expands (0.60) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 115
• A legal principle emerges from a long line of decisions. #expands (0.50) — Ruggero J. Aldisert, Agatha D. Aldisert, Logic for Lawyers- A Guide to Clear…, 134