Social science research on judicial decision-making has shown that judicial decisions are shaped by the same kinds of personal and political influences that affect decisions in other branches of government. Nonetheless, decision-making processes in the judicial branch are structured differently than parallel processes in other government institutions. The judicial process involves different actors and different kinds of information, and decision-makers in the judiciary possess role concepts and authorities that differ from those of elected officials. Arguments endorsing and opposing courts as policy-making forums are presented, and the capacity of courts to function as policy-making forums is assessed in terms of access to information, the policy process, and the consequences of judicial decisions. The implementation of judicial decisions is also discussed in the policy-making context. 45 notes