Wave 28 legal expert background descriptives
Frequency tables for categorical demographic and background variables collected near the end of the Wave 28 expert survey.
Assumptions and exclusions:
- Percentages are computed among non-missing responses within the eligible group for each item.
- Item nonresponse is omitted from both the displayed rows and the denominator.
- Free-text detail responses are excluded from generated output artifacts.
- Multi-select items report the share of eligible respondents selecting each option, so percentages can sum to more than 100%.
Overall legal experts
Legal-expert composition
Legal-expert respondents who answered at least one non-consent question (N = 327)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Law professors | 193 | 59.0 |
| Elite lawyers | 113 | 34.6 |
| Article III federal judges | 21 | 6.4 |
Percentages are calculated within legal experts who answered at least one non-consent question.
Originalism question overall
Legal experts who answered at least one non-consent question and gave a non-missing constitutional interpretation response (N = 248)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| What it means in current times | 214 | 86.3 |
| What it meant as originally written | 34 | 13.7 |
Percentages are calculated among legal experts who answered at least one non-consent question and answered the originalism question.
Law professors
Law professors: faculty appointment
Eligible respondents: law professors (N = 151)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Tenure-track or tenured faculty | 97 | 64.2 |
| Emeritus faculty | 26 | 17.2 |
| Non-tenure track clinical faculty | 15 | 9.9 |
| Other (e.g., Law Librarian or Administrator with teaching duties) | 6 | 4.0 |
| Legal research and writing (LRW) faculty | 5 | 3.3 |
| Adjunct or part-time instructor | 2 | 1.3 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Law professors: primary field of study
Eligible respondents: law professors (N = 151)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Constitutional law | 26 | 17.2 |
| Other | 26 | 17.2 |
| Clinical and experiential education | 13 | 8.6 |
| Environmental and energy law | 12 | 7.9 |
| Intellectual property and technology law | 11 | 7.3 |
| International and comparative law | 9 | 6.0 |
| Legal theory and history | 9 | 6.0 |
| Criminal law and procedure | 8 | 5.3 |
| Tax law | 6 | 4.0 |
| Administrative law and regulated industries | 5 | 3.3 |
| Civil procedure and jurisdiction | 5 | 3.3 |
| Contracts and commercial law | 5 | 3.3 |
| Business and corporate law | 4 | 2.6 |
| Property and real estate | 4 | 2.6 |
| Health law and bioethics | 3 | 2.0 |
| Immigration law | 3 | 2.0 |
| Family and juvenile law | 2 | 1.3 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Law professors: institution type
Eligible respondents: law professors (N = 153)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Public | 78 | 51.0 |
| Private nonprofit | 71 | 46.4 |
| None of the above | 4 | 2.6 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Law professors: constitutional interpretation approach
Eligible respondents: law professors (N = 142)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| What it means in current times | 127 | 89.4 |
| What it meant as originally written | 15 | 10.6 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Lawyers
Lawyers: currently working in a legal role
Eligible respondents: lawyers (N = 99)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 78 | 78.8 |
| No | 21 | 21.2 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Lawyers: most recent primary legal role
Eligible respondents: lawyers (N = 99)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Private practice attorney | 68 | 68.7 |
| Other | 11 | 11.1 |
| Government attorney (non-prosecutorial) | 7 | 7.1 |
| In-house counsel | 6 | 6.1 |
| Public defender or legal aid attorney | 4 | 4.0 |
| Prosecutor / district attorney (federal, state, or local) | 3 | 3.0 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Lawyers: primary area of legal practice
Eligible respondents: lawyers (N = 99)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Civil and commercial litigation | 27 | 27.3 |
| Other | 20 | 20.2 |
| Constitutional or civil rights law | 11 | 11.1 |
| Corporate and business law | 11 | 11.1 |
| Administrative and regulatory law | 9 | 9.1 |
| Intellectual property | 6 | 6.1 |
| Tax law | 5 | 5.1 |
| Criminal law | 4 | 4.0 |
| Family law | 4 | 4.0 |
| Labor and employment law | 2 | 2.0 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Lawyers: years practiced law
Eligible respondents: lawyers (N = 97)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| 0–9 | 8 | 8.2 |
| 10–19 | 14 | 14.4 |
| 20–29 | 19 | 19.6 |
| 30–39 | 14 | 14.4 |
| 40–49 | 28 | 28.9 |
| 50–59 | 9 | 9.3 |
| 60+ | 5 | 5.2 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Lawyers: government legal service experience
Eligible respondents: lawyers (N = 98)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, previously | 50 | 51.0 |
| No | 42 | 42.9 |
| Yes, currently | 6 | 6.1 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Lawyers: constitutional interpretation approach
Eligible respondents: lawyers (N = 94)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| What it means in current times | 77 | 81.9 |
| What it meant as originally written | 17 | 18.1 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Federal judges
Federal judges: current judicial status
Eligible respondents: federal judges (N = 12)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Senior judge | 8 | 66.7 |
| Active judge | 4 | 33.3 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Federal judges: current or most recent judicial position
Eligible respondents: federal judges (N = 13)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. District Court Judge | 12 | 92.3 |
| U.S. Court of Appeals Judge | 1 | 7.7 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Federal judges: party of nominating president
Eligible respondents: federal judges on district or appellate courts (N = 13)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Democrat | 7 | 53.8 |
| Republican | 6 | 46.2 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Federal judges: home-state senator recommendation party
Eligible respondents: federal district judges (N = 12)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Democrat | 6 | 50.0 |
| Both (bipartisan recommendation) | 4 | 33.3 |
| Republican | 2 | 16.7 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Federal judges: years on the bench
Eligible respondents: non-retired federal judges (N = 12)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Over 10 years | 12 | 100.0 |
| Under 10 years | 0 | 0.0 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Federal judges: constitutional interpretation approach
Eligible respondents: federal judges (N = 12)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| What it means in current times | 10 | 83.3 |
| What it meant as originally written | 2 | 16.7 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Lawyers and law professors
Lawyers and law professors: high-level prior roles
Eligible respondents: lawyers and law professors (N = 401)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Other high-level position | 43 | 10.7 |
| Head of Law Firm Appellate or Supreme Court Practice | 10 | 2.5 |
| U.S. Supreme Court Law Clerk | 8 | 2.0 |
| General Counsel / Chief Legal Officer (Fortune 500 or major organization) | 5 | 1.2 |
| U.S. Attorney | 5 | 1.2 |
| State Supreme Court Justice | 4 | 1.0 |
| State Attorney General | 2 | 0.5 |
| State Solicitor General | 2 | 0.5 |
| White House Counsel / Deputy White House Counsel | 2 | 0.5 |
Percentages are calculated among eligible respondents; respondents may select more than one role.
Political scientists
Political scientists: occupation
Eligible respondents: political scientists (N = 622)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time faculty | 558 | 89.7 |
| Emeritus faculty | 47 | 7.6 |
| Adjunct faculty | 9 | 1.4 |
| Other | 5 | 0.8 |
| Post-doctoral fellow | 3 | 0.5 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Political scientists: primary field of study
Eligible respondents: political scientists whose occupation was not ‘Other’ (N = 614)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| American politics | 261 | 42.5 |
| Comparative politics | 154 | 25.1 |
| International relations | 112 | 18.2 |
| Political theory | 47 | 7.7 |
| Another field of political science | 29 | 4.7 |
| Something other than political science | 11 | 1.8 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
Political scientists: institution type
Eligible respondents: political scientists whose occupation was not ‘Other’ (N = 612)
| Response | N | % |
|---|---|---|
| Public | 352 | 57.5 |
| Private nonprofit | 257 | 42.0 |
| Private for-profit | 3 | 0.5 |
Percentages are calculated among non-missing responses for that item.
