Lucky You : Your Case is Heard by a Seasoned Panel - Panel Effects in the German Constitutional Court

Panel effects have been widely studied in randomly composed panels. However for many courts, panel composition stays constant. Then judges become familiar with each other. They know what to expect from each other. There is room for mutual trust. A local culture may emerge. If rejection is the default, familiarity is likely to help plaintiffs, as familiar panels can be more effective, and more self-confident. In the German Constitutional Court, these effects can be causally identified. Justices experience multiple, exogenous recom-positions of their chamber. In the logic of regression discontinuity, the effect of familiarity can be identified near these recompositions