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The Rule of Law and the Litigation Process: The Paradox of Losing by Winning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

Catherine Albiston
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Abstract

This article expands upon the idea that repeat players influence the development of law by settling cases they are likely to lose and litigating cases they are likely to win. Through empirical analysis of judicial opinions interpreting the Family and Medical Leave Act, it shows how the rule-making opportunities in the litigation process affect the development of law and the judicial determination of statutory rights. In addition, the article explains how early judicial opinions might influence later judicial interpretations of the law. Although individuals may successfully mobilize the law to gain benefits in their disputes, that success often removes their experiences from the judicial determination of rights, limiting law's capacity to produce social change. This paradox of losing by winning separates the dispute resolution function of courts from their lawmaking function and raises questions about the legitimacy of law.

Type
Articles
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 33 , Issue 4: Do the “Haves” Still Come Out Ahead? , 1999 , pp. 869 - 910
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 by the Law and Society Association

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Footnotes

I wish to thank Lauren Edelman, Kristin Luker, Marianne Constable, Howard Erlanger, David Lieberman, Gary Gold, Laura Beth Nielsen, Kaaryn Gustafson, Tom Scanlon, Marc Melnick, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful and insightful comments.

References

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