Dumbing Down the Courts: How Politics Keeps the Smartest Judges Off the Bench

Name: Dumbing Down the Courts: How Politics Keeps the Smartest Judges Off the Bench
Price: 13.0 USD
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ISBN: 9781626522497

ISBN-10: 1626522499

ISBN-13: 9781626522497

Edition: 2013

Authors: John R. Lott

List price: $17.95

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Description:

Judges have enormous power. They determine whom we can marry, whether we can own firearms, whether the government can mandate that we buy certain products, and how we define "personhood." But who gets to occupy these powerful positions? Up until now, there has been little systematic study of what type of judges get confirmed.In his rigorous yet readable style, John Lott analyzes both historical accounts and large amounts of data to see how the confirmation process has changed over time. Most importantly, Dumbing Down the Courts shows that intelligence has now become a liability for judicial nominees. With courts taking on an ever greater role in our lives, smarter judges are feared by the…

Book details

List price: $17.95
Copyright year: 2013
Publisher: Itasca Books
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 354
Size: 5.00" wide x 7.75" long x 1.00" tall
Weight: 0.946
Language: English



Acknowledgments


Introduction: Why the Senate Shuns the Smartest Judges


Why Have the Battles Escalated Over Time?


The Courts as Legislative Bodies


Consensus as the Norm


The Ever-Growing Role of the Federal Courts



The Battles Are Getting Worse


Waiting to Be Judges: The Personal Costs



Supreme Battles


How Nominations Have Changed


Confirmation Traditions: Competence, Propriety, and Temperament


Breaking with Convention


Confirmations after Bork



The Fight over Lower Court Appointments


Placing Blame


Confirmation Delays


Confirmation Rates


Comparing Judicial and Cabinet Nominations



Who Has the Toughest Time Getting Confirmed?


Factors that Predict Who Will Be Confirmed


A Brief Overview: Ideology, Temperament, and Judicial Quality by Administration


Increased Polarization


Factors that Lengthen the Confirmation Process


How the Characteristics of Individual Nominees Determine Confirmation Rates


How the Characteristics of Individual Nominees Determine Supreme Court Confirmations


Confirmation Battles over Cabinet Members



ABA Ratings: What Do They Really Measure?


Determining ABA Scores for Judicial Nominees


Circuit Court Nominees


District Court Nominees


ABA Scores and Judicial Influence



Increasing Tenure


Conclusion


Appendix for Chapter 4


Appendix for Chapter 5


Data Appendix


Bibliography


Notes


Supplement: Full-Page Graphs


Index