The Costs of Judging Judges by the Numbers

This essay discredits current empirical models that are designed to “judge” or rank appellate judges, and then assesses the harms of propagating such models. First, the essay builds on the discussion of empirical models by arguing that (1) the judicial virtues that the legal empiricists set out to measure have little bearing on what actually makes for a good judge; and (2) even if they did, the empiricists’ chosen variables have not measured those virtues accurately. The essay then concludes that by generating unreliable claims about the relative quality of judges, these studies mislead both decision-makers and the public, degrade discussions of judging, and could, if taken seriously, detrimentally alter the behavior of judges themselves

Exportaciones chinas y mexicanas hacia Estados Unidos: ¿sigue China afectando a México?

The success of China as a leading exporter and its growing importance in the U.S. market has negatively affected trade of countries such as Mexico, with highly concentrated exports to the United States and with an export structure similar to the one of China. However, in 2004-2009 there have been some signs of recovery in the Mexican exports to that market. This paper addresses this issue by comparing the evolution of Chinese and Mexican exports to U.S., for then examine whether the Mexican recovery is due to changes in the competition degree between the products of both countries or to other factors.El éxito de China como potencia exportadora y su creciente importancia en el mercado estadounidense ha afectado negativamente el comercio exterior de países como México, con exportaciones fuertemente concentradas hacia Estados Unidos y con una estructura exportadora similar a la de China. Sin embargo, en el periodo 2004-2009 se han observado ciertos signos de recuperación en las exportaciones mexicanas dirigidas a dicho mercado. Este trabajo aborda esta cuestión, comparando la evolución de las exportaciones chinas y mexicanas hacia Estados Unidos, para luego analizar si la recuperación de México se debe a cambios en el grado de competencia entre los productos de ambos países o a otros factores

The Foreign Policy of Our Government\u27s Least Dangerous Branch

I am honored to be here today to deliver the Leslie H. Arps Memorial Lecture, named in honor of an exemplary lawyer, a consummate public servant, and a pillar of the New York Bar. And I am grateful for the kind introduction of Barry Garfmkel, another exemplary lawyer and pillar of the New York Bar. One aspect of today\u27s lecture-namely America\u27s place in the world-is a subject for strategic thinkers, historians, and philosophers. Lest there be any doubt about my pretensions, I am none of these. At best, I am a reader of strategic thinkers, historians and philosophers, and other intellectuals