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

See Examples For:

judge shopping

She laid out how O’Connor played along with this flagrant judge shopping—she actually quoted a past speech in which he defended judge shopping.

From Slate ● May 18, 2026

The courts have now formally recognized the need to do something about a really troubling pattern of judge shopping.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2024

Even the perception of judge shopping, the federal government argued, could erode public trust in the justice system.

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