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The Selling of Supreme Court Nominees

John Anthony Maltese

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Winner of the Herman Pritchett Award from the American Political Science Association

Politics has always been at the heart of the Supreme Court selection process. According to John Anthony Maltese, the first "Borking" of a nominee came in 1795 with the defeat of John Rutledge's nomination as chief justice. What is different about today's appointment process, he argues, is not its politicization but the range of players involved and the political techniques that they use. In The Selling of Supreme Court Nominees, Maltese traces the evolution of the contentious and controversial confirmation...

Winner of the Herman Pritchett Award from the American Political Science Association

Politics has always been at the heart of the Supreme Court selection process. According to John Anthony Maltese, the first "Borking" of a nominee came in 1795 with the defeat of John Rutledge's nomination as chief justice. What is different about today's appointment process, he argues, is not its politicization but the range of players involved and the political techniques that they use. In The Selling of Supreme Court Nominees, Maltese traces the evolution of the contentious and controversial confirmation process awaiting today's nominees to the nation's highest court. In this paperback edition, he includes a discussion of the recent nomination of Stephen Breyer, addressing various reform proposals made by critics of the current process and crediting President Clinton's protracted selection process with restoring some decorum to the proceedings.

Reviews

Reviews

A careful and concise history, description, and analysis of the modern Supreme Court appointment process... A model of concese and careful scholarship, and I highly recommend it.

Stands out in its scholarly thoroughness and innovative theory... one of the best books currently available for understanding the contemporary politics of Supreme Court nominations.

A highly informative study of presidential appointments and senatorial confirmation-or rejection-of those nominees to the Supreme Court throughout our history... This book is clearly written, fast paced, and very well documented. It is recommended to all interested to the political gateway to the federal appellate judiciary.

A model of concise and careful scholarship.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
216
ISBN
9780801858833
Table of Contents

Series Editor's Forward
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. The President Versus the Senate
Chapter 2. In the Beginning
Chapter 3. The Rise of Organized Interests
Chapter 4. Interests Versus

Series Editor's Forward
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. The President Versus the Senate
Chapter 2. In the Beginning
Chapter 3. The Rise of Organized Interests
Chapter 4. Interests Versus Nominees: The Defeat of John J. Parker
Chapter 5. Interests Versus Nominees: The Defeat of Clement Haynsworth
Chapter 6. Speaking Out: Interest Groups, Nominees, and Presidents
Chapter 7. The Institutional Presidency: Strategic Resources and the Supreme Court Selection Process
Chapter 8. The Clinton Appointments and Proposals for Reform
Afterword, 1998
Notes
Index

Author Bio
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John Anthony Maltese

John Anthony Maltese is associate professor of political science at the University of Georgia. His books include Spin Control: The White House Office of Communications and the Management of Presidential News.