Judicial Influence and the United States Federal District Courts: A Case Study

This paper will show that East Tennessee Federal District Judge Robert L. Taylor is a prime example of the influence that a single judge can have on the federal judicial system. Judge Taylor’s influence will be proven by an examination of the following factors: caseload management, affirmation/reversal rate of his decisions, citations of his decisions in other cases, the impact of his decisions on East Tennessee, and on the federal judiciary generally, and other miscellaneous categories.