New Book - Are Judges Political?

Are Judges Political?: An Empirical Analysis of the Federal Judiciary
by Cass R. Sunstein, David Schkade, Lisa M. Ellman, and Andres Sawicki (Brookings 2006)

According to Amazon, the book was released on June 8th. Barnes & Noble’s website says it won’t be released until June 28th, which is probably correct. But I’m splitting the difference by posting it now.

Check out these endorsements from some of the ELS Blog’s favorite people:

 

“Not only is this a solid piece of research, it also does a remarkable job of translating complex ideas-long floating around in the social sciences-into prose accessible to a broad audience. This is an important service. Plus, the book couldn't come at a better time. Senators (and presidents), for the most part, understand the ideological component of judging but the public seems to need a reminder. ARE JUDGES POLITICAL? provides just that.” - Lee Epstein (Northwestern University)

“This is a significant book. The judiciary decides many important policy questions in the United States, and in practice the circuit court judiciary is much more important than the Supreme Court. This is evident by the great and growing press and political attention to judicial nominees. ARE JUDGES POLITICAL? greatly informs the debate, with its empirical findings and its discussion of their pragmatic significance.” - Frank B. Cross (University of Texas-Austin)

“ARE JUDGES POLITICAL? is thoughtful and careful. It is a terrific empirical introduction to the politics of judicial decisionmaking, an area that is capturing the imagination of many in the legal academy. The analysis of panel effects, which appear to be as large as partisan effects, is especially interesting.” - Jeffrey A. Segal (Stony Brook University)

How can you not order a copy?