Description
Traces the increasing contentiousness and publicity surrounding the confirmation of nominees to the Supreme Court and argues that such changes are the result of trends in the political process, the expansion of judicial power, and changes in the Senate.
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Silverstein (political science, Boston U.) updates his review of the political forces that surround judicial appointment and confirmation in the United States. After introducing the modern confirmation process through the illustrative tale of Abe Fortas, President Johnson's failed nominee for Chief Justice, he examines how the changing nature of political coalitions have impacted the nature of judicial appointment politics from World War II to the present. He thus discusses, for example, how the demise of the New Deal coalition increased the importance of the federal judiciary to elements of the Democratic Party and how promises to recast the Supreme Court through the appointment process played a significant role in the subsequent national resurgence of the Republican Party. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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