A Jury of One’s Peers: The Effects of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 on Jury Trials

The Civil Rights Act of 1991 formally established the right to a jury trial in employment discrimination cases in which the plaintiff seeks compensatory or punitive damages. It also introduced the possibility of emotional distress damages in these cases. Economist Jose Lopez will examine the effects of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 on the incidence of jury trials in cases of employment discrimination and the probability of the plaintiff winning in such trials. He will utilize data from the Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, the Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, and data from the National Cancer Institute for his study.