Electing Justice Fixing the Supreme Court Nomination Process [Paperback]

Davis discusses the increasing role of interest groups, the press, and the public, whose role is not prescribed in the Constitution, in the selection and confirmation of Supreme Court justices and how it affects the process. First he examines in detail the history and nature of the process, then he looks at the role and impact of other players. His conclusions about how non-political actors affect the outcome of Supreme Court justice selection leads him at the end of his book to suggest controversial reforms and their prospects for success.


Introduction: A Broken Process
1. Traditional versus New Players
2. The Politics of Judicial Selection
3. How the Process Broke: The Transformation of the Supreme Court Appointment Process
4. New Roles for External Players
5. Today's Nomination Process: The Battle over Image
6. Reforming the Process
Appendix A: A Note on Methodology
Notes
Index

Analytic, well-researched and interesting historical review of the increasing recent role of the news media, public opinion and interest groups in the choice of U.S. Supreme Court Justices. --New York Law Journal

Electing Justiceoffers a useful and accessible tour of the current confirmation process, ultimately leading to a series of recommendations to fix perceived problems.... Davis also includes the suggestion that Supreme Court justices be elected, which is sure to be controversial. This volume would be an ideal choice for an advanced undergraduate course on judicial politics and perhaps as a supplementary text for a seminar on presidential and/or legislative politics. Davis' book is a 'good read' and is thought-provoking, to say the least, and it merits the attention of anyone interested in the politics of staffing the bench. --Law and Politics Book Review

In an accessible book that should prove interesting to readers whether or not they are scholars, Davis traces major changes that have beelÓ: