Integrated process models that combine both legal and extralegal variables provide a more accurate specification of the judicial decision making process and capture the complexity of the factors that shape judicial behavior. Judicial decision making theories borrow heavily from U.S. Supreme Court research, however, such theories may not automatically be applicable to the lower federal bench. The author uses vote dilution cases originating in the federal district courts from the years 1965 to 1993 to examine what motivates the behavior of district and circuit court judges. The author uses an integrated process model to assess what factors are important to the adjudication process and if there are significant differences between federal district and appellate court judges in decision making.

Described in this thesis is research that examined the influence of courtroom symbolism on jurors' ability to focus on the evidence presented in a criminal trial. This research is unique as participants were 'real' jurors who had, at the time of participation in the research, recently completed deliberations on a District Court trial. To date no other research has explored the interaction between symbolism in the courtroom and the juror experience. The broad research question examined in this research was: Do symbolic elements in the courtroom environment draw juror attention away from the evidence being presented?. Three theories drawn from environmental psychology were utilised in this research (i.e., environmental uncertainty theory, environmental arousal theory and environmental load theory). Additionally, Rapoport's (1983, 1990) theory, which was drawn from the architectural field of knowledge, was utilised. Rapoport's theory facilitated the measurement of symbolism in the form of environmental cues found in the courtroom. To address the broad research question, eight subordinate research questions were formulated those being: (1) Do trait anxiety and court related factors influence the amount of attention jurors pay to the elements of the courtroom environment?, (2) Do trait anxiety and court related factors influence the effect on jurors of the attention they paid to the elements of the courtroom environment?, (3) Do trait anxiety and court related factors influence the sense of stress or arousal in jurors?, (4) Is there an association between attention paid by jurors to the environmental cues found in the courtroom, their ability to perform their role as a juror and their sense of appreciation for the function of the law?, (5) Is there an association between attention paid by jurors to the environmental cues in the courtroom and a state of elevated stress?, (6) Does the amount of attention paid by jurors to environmental cues found in the courtroom diminish over time?, (7) Does the effect on jurors of the attention they paid to the environmental cues in the courtroom diminish over time? and, (8) Does the amount of stress jurors experience diminish over time?. The eight research questions were addressed in two studies. The first involved a survey of jurors who had completed deliberations in District Court trials in Brisbane and Cairns during the period 19th July, 2001 and 18th July, 2002 (N=192). This study examined the amount of attention jurors paid to four elements of the courtroom environment (i.e., the courtroom design, the appearance and behaviour of court officials, the appearance and behaviour of those associated with the offence and the task of being a juror). Also examined in this study was the influence on jurors of the attention they paid to the elements of the courtroom environment. Juror experience of state anxiety as measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI] (Spielberger, 1983) was also examined. Additionally, the influence of trait anxiety as measured by the STAI (Spielberger, 1983) and court related factors (i.e., location of trial, prior jury experience, nature of the offence and length of trial) on the juror experience was examined. Two time frames were examined (i.e., initial contact with the courtroom and midpoint of juror experience) which allowed the examination of the influence of time on the juror experience. Interviews with jurors who had completed the survey (N=19) comprised the second study. This study allowed jurors to describe their experience on a jury from a more personal perspective. The elements of the juror experience that distracted and reinforced their ability to focus on the evidence and facilitated a sense of appreciation for the function of the law were discussed. Also discussed were the elements of the juror experience that caused jurors to experience anxiety. Overall, the findings of this research indicated that although symbolism in the courtroom was linked to juror anxiety, this was positive and facilitated juror attention to the evidence and a sense of respect for the criminal justice system. That anxiety experienced by jurors facilitated their focus on the evidence is consistent with environmental arousal theory in that for optimum performance one must experience a certain level of arousal. Also confirmed by the findings of this research is environmental load theory, an element of which predicts that jurors will be task driven when experiencing environmental load. That these two theories are linked by an underlying construct is evidenced by the findings of this research. These findings open up possibilities for future theoretical research using environmental arousal theory and environmental load theory. The findings of this research also suggest that jurors found the symbolism in the courtroom environment distracting and that some elements of the juror experience were onerous and stressful. However, previous experience in the courtroom and lower trait anxiety moderated these factors. Consequently, consistent with the results of this research courts might benefit from implementing an orientation program for prospective jurors such that they are familiarised with the courtroom environment. Such a program would moderate any distress experienced by jurors. In the context of such adjustments by the courts, the influence of symbolism in the courtroom are considered beneficial to the juror experience and there is no need for the courts to alter the courtroom setting or robing practices of lawyers.

Darbuotojų materialinės atsakomybės normos darbo teisiniuose santykiuose turi didelę teorinę ir praktinę reikšmę. Šiame darbe pateikti Kauno miesto apylinkės teismo 2000-2006 metais išnagrinėtų bylų dėl darbuotojų materialinės atsakomybės pagal darbo teisę apibendrinimai. Darbe apibūdinama darbuotojų materialinės atsakomybės samprata, darbuotojų materialinės atsakomybės rūšys, analizuojamos 2000 – 2006 metais Kauno miesto apylinkės teisme išnagrinėtos bylos dėl darbuotojų materialinės atsakomybės, pateikiama šių bylų statistika ir išsami analizė pagal sąlygas materialinei atsakomybei atsirasti, analizuojamos darbdavių, darbuotojų ir teismo, nagrinėjančio darbo ginčus dėl darbuotojų materialinės atsakomybės pagal darbo teisę, daromos klaidos. Darbo pabaigoje pateiktose išvadose atskleidžiamos praktinės bylų nagrinėjime pastebėtos problemos, pateikiami galimi jų sprendimo būdai. / The norms of the material liability of the employees in the legal relations of work have a significant theoretical and practical meaning. This work presents the summaries of the cases investigated by Kaunas City District Court in 2000-2006 regarding the employees’ material liability under labour law. The work describes the concept of the material liability of the employees, the sorts of the employees’ material liability, analyses the cases investigated by Kaunas City District Court in 2000-2006 regarding the employees’ material liability, presents the statistics of these cases and a thorough analysis on the basis of the conditions that cause material liability, analyses the mistakes done by the employers, employees and the court that examines the labour disputes regarding the employees’ material liability under labour law. In the end of the work there are presented the conclusions, which reveal the practical problems noticed in the investigation of cases, and there are presented the possible methods, how to solve them.

A rampant supposition exists that the judicial nominations of females are less successful due to the nominee’s gender (Martinek 2002). It is thus paramount to further investigate empirically whether individual nominee characteristics, such as gender, inhibit the nominee’s possibility of obtaining Senate confirmation. I empirically explore this conjecture in two distinct ways. First, I employ a difference in means test to determine whether women are confirmed to the District Court at a lower rate, on average, than are men. Subsequently, I test the hypothesis using a logistic regression that examines the influence of gender and the interaction of gender and race on the likelihood of confirmation, while controlling for other factors. Aiming to contribute to previous scholarship by providing an updated empirical analysis, I offer an update to Wendy Martinek’s original analysis of judicial confirmations by using the Lower Federal Court Confirmation Database to examine whether the influences of gender, race and their interaction on confirmation dynamics vary by partisan control. Having found the effect that nonwhite women are less likely to be confirmed by a GOP Senate than white males, I examine whether gender and race are the key factors or whether the relationship may instead be driven by ideology. Despite popular belief, the analysis of the data is not supportive of an extensive gender gap and undermines the claim that gender alone is an imperative factor inhibiting women from obtaining a successful confirmation. However, the empirical results are supportive of the hypothesis that racial minority females are less likely to be confirmed by a GOP controlled Senate than their white female and male counterparts.

Syftet med denna uppsats var att studera hur tingsrätten praktiserar uttryck av emotioner i de skriftliga domarna, avseende försök till mord och mord. Utöver det var syftet även att undersöka hur tingsrätten framställde förövaren och gärningen kopplat till känslouttryck, samt om det förekom några skillnader i framställandet av dessa. Studien har genomförts med kvalitativ innehållsanalys som metod och datamaterialet bestod av domar från en tingsrätt. Resultaten har visat att tingsrätten huvudsakligen exkluderar känslouttryck i de skriftliga domarna och uttryckt sakliga framställningar, men att det dock är förekommande till viss del. Resultaten har även visat att det förekommit skillnader i tingsrättens framställande av förövaren och gärningen. Våra slutsatser har bland annat blivit att tingsrätten i olika grad frångått sin neutrala ställning, där emotioner i relation till gärningen varit mest framträdande. Slutsatserna har stärkts genom kopplingen till det emotionssociologiska perspektivet och Garlands teori om straffets funktion. / The purpose of this paper was to study how the district court practices expression of emotions in the written judgments, regarding attempted murder and murder. In addition, the purpose was also to study how the district court presented the perpetrator and the act linked to emotional expressions, and whether there were any differences in the presentation of these. The study was conducted with qualitative content analysis as a method and the data material consisted of judgments from a district court. The results have shown that the district court mainly excludes emotional expressions in the written judgments and expressed factual representations, but that it does occur to some extent. The results have also shown that there have been differences in the district court's presentation of the perpetrator and the act. Our conclusions have, among other things, been that the district court to varying degrees deviated from its neutral position, where emotions in relation to the act were most prominent. The conclusions have been strengthened through the connection to the emotional sociological perspective and Garland’s theory regarding the function of punishment.

This thesis utilises district court records from the three judicial districts of Hammerdal, Offerdal, and Undersåker to shed light on Saamis’ presence in north-western Jämtland during the seventeenth century. The research question posed is how encounters with the local communities shaped the Saamis’ situation during a period of emerging colonial mores and contributes to the discussion on how encounters with others impacted the situation for the Saami in early modern Sweden. The theoretical framework adopts the concepts of borderlands, concurrences, and settler colonialism to understand the manifold of encounters that shaped the situation for the Saami, acknowledging the possibility that the encounters could be contradictory while also understanding them as shaped within a context of power asymmetries. Contrary to the northern lappmarks, this thesis shows that the Saamis in north-western Jämtland were deprived of representation at the local courts, affecting their influence in local self-governance and administration of justice. Moreover, by not only focusing on Saamis’ encounters with the representatives of the Crown and the Church but also with the non-Saamis who resided in the local communities, this thesis concludes that the Saamis’ situation was shaped by concurring and conflicting encounters, encompassing not only coercion and confrontation but also cooperation and coexistence.

The aim of this study was to examine the District Court´s argumentations about the children´s best interests in rulings regarding custody of children, and to analyse the argumentation from a gender perspective. Rulings from the District Court from 2012 have been the basis for this study and a qualitative method has been used, argumentations analysis. The study shows that cooperative problems between the parents are the main reason why the District Court finds joint custody to be excluded. There are also argumentation regarding parent´s ability to ensure the children’s safety. The presumption of joint custody is known to be emphatic in Swedish law and in those cases the District Court finds it in the best interest of the child for the joint custody to remain, the parents still have problems cooperating but not sufficiently to repeal the importance of both parents in the child´s life. In the rulings leading up to both joint and sole custody conceptions of female and male attributes can be found, and differences regarding what´s considered good and bad attributes. The study shows differences in how we expect women and men to be parents. Conceptions of class- and ethnicity however, are rarer. The analysis also shows views of parenthood as being gender complementary, where the father´s presence is seen as a complement to the mother´s main caring responsibility. Finally, the study shows a guiding from the District Court to the fathers about getting them more involved in their children´s life, and of the importance of the Social Services Custody Report regarding the verdict.

營業秘密係全球化時代下重要的產物，若接觸過此營業秘密的員工在離職後，將此高度價值的商業機密洩漏出去，公司將會蒙受極大的損失，因此公司會想防範離職員工竊取或利用其營業秘密，其中，競業禁止即著重於與員工事先先簽訂好相關的條款，予以箝制員工恣意洩漏其極具經濟價值的商業資訊，以保障公司能更努力投入研發等創新活動，並且活絡市場促進科技和商業發展。 營業祕密之保護和競業禁約款都在於維持雇主之競爭力，但從其構成要件和性質來觀察卻不盡相同，本文在競業禁止部分係著重在僱傭關係結束後之討論，而營業秘密之部分則是包括在職期間和離職後兩種情況，而競業禁止和營業秘密這兩者在某程度之關聯上，除了基本之理論介紹，本文亦會從台北地方法院近三年之相關判決加以探討，藉由統計方法中的量化和質化研究，分析並了解營業秘密和競業禁止之互動關係，並結合理論和實務之運作，提出一些有關於實務上運作之建議。 / Business secrets are the production under the era of globalization. In addition, it start playing an important role on business development. After employees who have been touched the business secrets had left their jobs might lead to leaking out highly valuable commercial secrets making the company suffer great losses. Company will protect their trade secrets and prevent economic losses by asking employees to sign non-competition clauses. With the protection, companies are willing to invest more assets and money on research and development, making market more active. Eventually, these kinds of clauses and precautions can promote technological and commercial environment and development. Trade secret protection and non-competition clauses can maintain competitiveness of employers. But trade secret and non-competition are not the same due to the original source of law and elements. This thesis related to the non-competition clauses are focusing on the periods of the end of the employment relationship. But trade secrets divided into two situations including employment periods and after-service periods. In fact, non-competition and trade secrets have a certain extent of connections. In addition to the basic theoretical introduction, the thesis explored and extracted judgment from the Taipei District Court ruling during the past three years. With methods of Statistical Analysis. We can understand the relationship and interaction between trade secrets and non-competition. By combining the theories with empirical research, we can speculate the results and conclude the suggestions about the operation of the practice.

The construction of the woman exposed to violence and how she is produced in the Swedish judiciary is important to understand the view of men's violence against the woman. How the woman exposed to violence in today's context are produced by the judiciary in relation to political and media discussions are also affecting social work and its practice. The aim of the study is to, with a norm critical perspective, highlight how women represented and assessed in Swedish district court judgments. We want to investigate how the woman exposed to violence in close relationships is produced and judged in Swedish courts. The study is based on a qualitative research effort and a discourse analysis has been made of 12 district court judgments from different district courts in Sweden. Through a thematic analysis, three themes became clear: “the district court's perception of the credibility of women”, “the course of events based on women's perspectives” and “the district court's considerations in assessing the crime breach, coarse women's violence”. The chosen theoretical approach that has been used to create an understanding of our research problem is norm critical perspective and the concept of ideal crime victim. The results gave us the conclusion that in Swedish district courts there are norms about how women exposed to violence should behave.

Cette thèse interroge l'apparente contradiction scalaire entre la proclamation de lois spatialement uniforme à l'échelle nationale et la territorialisation des populations françaises. Elle essaye de comprendre comment le système judiciaire hexagonal réussit à concilier ses exigences constitutionnelles d'indivisibilité et d'égalité avec la pluralité des territoires. L'analyse, enchevêtrant une démarche qualitative et une démarche quantitative par l'exploitation des données des juridictions et du casier judiciaire national, permet de conclure que les institutions judiciaires sont productrices d'injustices. Plus ou moins asphyxiés par les flux de délits à réprimer, les tribunaux de grande instance ne condamnent pas uniformément à l'échelle nationale, d'autant plus qu'ils doivent suivre les priorités définies dans la politique pénale du procureur de la République. Possédant une propension diverse à devenir de véritables acteurs politiques de leur territoire, les chefs du parquet jouent ainsi un rôle essentiel de passeur scalaire mais accentuent l'iniquité du système pénal. En effet, l'égalité proclamée comme un des fondements de la République française est abandonnée au profit d'une stigmatisation des territoires les plus défavorisés qui sont plus sévèrement condamnés que ne laisserait attendre la géographie des délits alors même qu'ils sont oubliés dans les politiques de prévention de la délinquance. Rompant dès lors complètement avec le principe de l'équité, les institutions judiciaires accentuent les fractures socio-spatiales du territoire français. Ces processus de fragmentation révèlent d'une part la pertinence de l'analyse de la justice pénale par la géographie et d'autre part l'impossibilité de ne penser une amélioration du système judiciaire qu'en vase-clos. / This thesis questions the seeming scalar contradiction between the spatially uniform proclaiming of laws on a national scale, and the public policy approach that focuses on the territory of French populations. It tries to understand how the French judiciary system succeeds in conciliating its constitutional demands of indivisibility and equality together with the plurality of territories. The analysis, mixing a quality and a quantitative approach by using the data of jurisdictions and the national police recrod, allows concluding that judiciary institutions produce injustices. More or less suffocated by the number of offences to be punished, the district courts do not condemn uniformly on the national level, all the more since they must follow the priorities defined in the penal policy by the public prosecutor. Having a different propensity to become genuine political actors in their territory, the public prosecutors are thus playing an essential part as scalar linkmen, but stress the iniquity of the penal system. Indeed, the equality claimed as a base of the French Republic, is forgotten in the benfit of a stigmatization of the most disadvantaged territories, which are more severely condemned that the geography of offences would expect, even when they are forgotten in the policies of deliquency preventing. Thus breaking totally with the principle of equity, the judiciary institutions stress the social-spatial dislocations of the French territory. These processes of fragmentation disclose that on the one hand, an analysis of the penal justice through geography is relevant, and on the other hand that it is impossible for a closed group only to think the improvement of the judiciary system.