STATUTORY INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT

Abstract

Studies of the Supreme Court-Congressional relationship have concentrated on the interaction that occurs between the two institutions in constitutional policy areas while ignoring the presumably more routine aspects of the relationship involving statutory issues. This article focuses on the less visible side of Court-Congressional interaction by examining Congress' response to the Court's interpretations of labor and antitrust statutes. Patterns of reaction are delineated, and several hypotheses linking Congressional response to characteristics of the Court's decision are tested. Factors such as the unanimity and direction of the Court's decision, which are often thought to have some bearing on the response of other political actors to the Court, do not, however, provide clear-cut explanations for Congressional reaction to the Court's statutory decisions. Striking differences are found between the labor and antitrust policy areas, suggesting that those who study judicial impact need to be careful in generalizing about the variables and conditions that affect response to the Court.