Let’s face it, which one of us has not felt better after a good night’s rest or a hot, delicious, meal. Now it appears that there is scientific evidence suggesting that both of these things may impact the way judges rule in criminal cases. According to the Associated Press, a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that of 1,112 rulings in criminal cases, “the likelihood of a favorable ruling is greater at the very beginning of the work day or after a food break than later in the sequence of cases.”
Nestled among titles such as, Magnetic evidence for a partially differentiated carbonaceous chondrite parent body and Label-free live brain imaging and targeted patching with third-harmonic generation microscopy, we find this study conducted as part of a joint research project on sequential decision-making by Columbia University’s Business School and the Department of Management at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Isreal.
The study found that at the beginning of the court’s docket approximately 65% of the court’s rulings tended to favor the citizen accused but the chances for a favorable ruling declined to nearly zero as the morning’s calendar call continued. Researchers also found this pattern to occur after a lunch or food break.
So now there’s scientific evidence to confirm what every criminal defense lawyers has always known – a rested, well-fed judge is a good judge.
For a copy of the study email me at esuarez@suarezlawfirm.com
or
Click here for a site with additional information on the study.
If arrested in the Tampa area and need more information please click here.
