ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how mainstreamed judicial analytics might impact the Supreme Court of Canada. Specifically, the chapter explores how analytics could influence: (1) the appointment process for Supreme Court judges; (2) the adjudication of cases at the Supreme Court; and (3) the ability of the public – and the Court itself – to appraise trends and tendencies in judicial decision-making at the Supreme Court. After canvassing the opportunities and limitations of utilizing judicial analytics in these three contexts, the chapter concludes that, subject to some important limits, analytics may contribute to improved knowledge and transparency about the Supreme Court's work and may provide new avenues for increased accountability. At the same time, the chapter highlights key risks of relying on judicial analytics tools to understand the work of the Court and its judges. To minimize such risks, high-quality tools must provide appropriately contextualized outputs, and stakeholders, including the Court and its judges, should ensure they understand analytics tools and their outputs.
