The timely administration of justice: using computational simulations to evaluate institutional reforms at the CJEU

Abstract

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) faces a growing backlog of cases and delays in administering justice. Identifying the factors that prolong the resolution of cases is critical for designing successful institutional reforms. In this article, we use a Bayesian model to identify the characteristics of cases, judges, and the Court's internal procedures that affect the duration of cases. Then, we run computational simulations that use our model to estimate the likely effect of potential institutional reforms aimed at reducing the Court's backlog. We offer policy recommendations based on our findings. Our methodology can be tailored to study the efficiency of other domestic and international courts.