Time/时间：11月14日（周五）10:00-11:30

Venue/地点：Room 501, Jiageng Building 2/嘉庚二号楼501教室

Topic/题目：From headlines to verdicts: Judges’ exposure to corporate environmental incidents and judicial decision-making in environmental litigation

Speaker/报告人：刘俊岐助理教授

Abstract/摘要：We study the impact of federal judges’ personal exposure to news-based environmental incidents through their stock holdings on judicial decision-making in environmental litigation. Exploiting the random assignment of legal cases to judges, we find that judges recently exposed to corporate environmental incidents are less likely to dismiss environmental allegations, demonstrating a reduced propensity to rule in favor of defendants. The effect is more pronounced for more salient incidents, judges with more progressive leanings, and those more heavily involved in stock investments. These findings align with ethical arousal as a driver of judges’ decision-making bias in related cases. Additionally, judges’ exposure to firm environmental incidents correlates with shorter case durations and increased likelihood of monetary awards. Our results imply that firms’ non-financial information has unintended impacts on shareholders’ professional behavior beyond investment decisions, engendering broad societal consequences.

About the Speaker/报告人简介：刘俊岐，现任厦门大学财务管理与会计研究院助理教授，博士毕业于法国ESSEC商学院。其研究兴趣主要包括企业强制和自愿信息披露以及信息中介。