Science of Justice

S2E31 - New Definition of a “Good Case"

Published: January 2, 2026

Duration: 34:17

We challenge the old belief that strong facts guarantee strong verdicts and show why juror psychology now sets case value. We map a path to decision architecture across intake, discovery, narrative design, testing, and voir dire to prevent invisible ceiling compression.

• Three failed assumptions that undermine plaintiff strategy
• Five control variables jurors’ cognitive load, belief mechanics, narrative stability, emotional velocity, internal bias amplification
• System One vs System Two and why gut impressions dominate
• Confirmation bias, the Hannah study, and narrative drift risk
• Med-mal “unlosable” loss as a drift cautionary tale
• Intake, discovery, and narrative as c...