Which Side Tends to File the Most Amicus Briefs in Criminal Cases (Part 2)?

Yesterday, we looked at the court's experience with amicus briefs in criminal cases for the first half of our study period, 1994-2005. Today, we look at the data for the second half of the period.

For the most part, the relationship between the sides was the same – petitioners tend to get more amicus support in criminal cases than do respondents. In 2006, amicus briefs were quite rare on the criminal side – 0.09 per case supporting petitioners to 0.04 for respondents. In 2007, petitioners averaged 0.16, while respondents got the support of 0.23 briefs per case. In 2008, petitioners averaged 0.3 briefs per case to 0.11 for respondents. In 2009, petitioners were down slightly, averaging 0.28 briefs per case, while respondents averaged 0.16. In 2010, briefs supporting petitioners reached their highest level of the period, as petitioners averaged 0.59 amici per case. Respondents averaged 0.1.