Fowler Authority Scores
Moving from binary "overruled" flags to continuous, network-based authority scoring. LegalChain integrates the Fowler/Jeon methodology to quantify case centrality within the citation graph.
Landmark
0.9 - 1.0
Doctrinal Anchors
Strong
0.5 - 0.9
Black Letter Law
Moderate/Weak
< 0.5
Niche / Obsolete
Network Centrality
Traditional databases use binary flags (Overruled/Good). This fails to capture cases that are technically "good law" but have been hollowed out. Fowler scores (`pauth_score`) allow the model to weigh authority proportionally.
[ PIPELINE INTEGRATION ]
- 01 Embed field `fowler_pauth_score` in SCDB source.
- 02 Constraint: Model must justify weight vs score.
- 03 Evaluation: Penalize over-reliance on < 0.2 cases.
Authority Map (Sample Set)
| Case Name | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Miranda v. Arizona | 0.982 | Anchor |
| Terry v. Ohio | 0.941 | Central |
| Katz v. United States | 0.812 | Reliable |
| Olmstead v. U.S. | 0.024 | Shadow |
Technical Note
Scores are recalculated annually. Cases in the "Shadow" range (< 0.1) are treated as functionally overruled for the purpose of the deterministic check phase.