judge shopping

American  

[juhj shop-ing] / ˈdʒʌdʒ ˌʃɒp ɪŋ /

Or judge-shopping

noun

Law.

1. the act or practice of filing a lawsuit in a district where the case will be assigned to a judge who is likely to find in your favor.

   The case was transferred to a district with multiple judges to avoid the perception of judge shopping.

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Etymology

Origin of judge shopping

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

The process is known as judge shopping, and the committee that makes policy for the federal courts just moved to put an end to it.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2024

I’ve spent a fair amount of time over the past 18 months cataloguing Texas’s judge shopping behavior, much of the research for which I’ve posted to Twitter.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2023

At the very least, the Justice Department contended, the judges should consider transferring the cases to Texas divisions with multiple judges to avoid the perception of judge shopping.

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2023

The case has also raised concerns about judge shopping, a term for litigants seeking to file cases in front of judges they consider sympathetic to their cause.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2023

In what became known as the judge shopping scandal, PG&E was granted the administrative judge of its choosing.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2019